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BR  75  .B73  1846  v. 1 
Bunyan,  John,  1628-1688. 
Works  of  the  Puritan  Divines 


THE   JERUSALEM   SINNER   SAVED 

THE   PHARISEE   AND   THE   PUBLICAN: 

THE    TRINITY  AND  A  CHRISTIAN:    THE    LAW  AND    A    CHRISTIAN: 
&.C.  &C. 


JOHN    BUINYAN: 

TO  VVHiCK  IS   APPENDED, 

AN   EXHORTATION  TO   PEACE   AND   UNITY. 


WITH  LIFE  OF  BUNY/fN,  BY 

THE    REV.  JAMES     HAMILTON, 

Scotch  Church,  Regent  Square,  London. 


NEW    YORK: 
WILEY    &    PUTNAM 

161    BROADWAY. 
M  DCCC  XLYI. 


C0NTENT8. 


1.  Preface. 

2.  Life  of  Btjntan.  1 

3.  The  Jerusalem  Sinner  Savea,             ...  .1 

4.  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,             ...  93 
5   The  Trinity  and  a  Christian,                                  ,  245 

6.  The  Law  and  a  Christian,              ....  251 

7.  Bunyan's  Last  Sermon.,      i                 t            j>  257 

8.  Bunyan's  Dying  Sayings,               ....  267 

9.  An  Exhortation  to  Peace  and  Unity*        .          .  .277 


PREFACE. 


The  Editor  has  but  little  to  prefix  to  this  volume  by  w<iy  of 
advertisement. 

The  works  of  Bunyan  are  so  well  known,  and  so  highly  appre- 
ciated, as  to  render  any  commendation  of  them  quite  superfluous. 
Suffice  it  merely  to  state,  that  although  his  great  fame  is  built  on 
his  genius  as  the  allegorist  of  the  Christian  character  and  life, 
still,  viewed  more  strictly  as  a  Theologian,  his  works  place  him 
very  high  even  among  the  Puritan  Divines.  In  the  works  here 
printed,  it  is  tioped  that  the  reader  will  find  justice  done  to  his 
varied  merits. 

The  utmost  attention  has  been  paid  to  secure  complete  ac- 
curacy in  the  text,  by  collating  the  best  editions  of  his  Works : 
and  everything  has  been  done  to  render  the  present,  in  all  other 
respects,  a  faultless  volume. 


LIFE    OF    BUNYAN, 


After  the  pleasant  sketches  of  pens  so  graceful  as  Southey's 
and  Montgomery's  ;  after  the  elaborate  biography  of  Mr  Philip, 
whose  researches  have  left  few  desiderata  for  any  subsequent 
devotee  ;  indeed,  after  Bunyan's  own  graphic  and  characteristic 
narrative,  the  task  on  which  we  are  now  entering  is  one  which, 
as  we  would  have  courted  it  the  less,  so  we  feel  that  we  have 
peculiar  facilities  for  performing  it.  Our  main  object  is  to  give 
a  simple  and  coherent  account  of  a  most  unusual  man — and  then 
we  should  like  to  turn  to  some  instructive  purpose  the  peculiar- 
ities of  his  singular  history,  and  no  less  singular  works. 

John  Bunyan  was  born  at  Elstow,  near  Bedford,  in  1628.  His 
father  was  a  brazier  or  tinker,  and  brought  up  his  son  as  a  crafts- 
man of  like  occupation.  There  is  no  evidence  for  the  gipsy  origin 
of  the  house  of  Bunyan  ;  and  though  extremely  poor,  John's 
father  gave  his  son  such  an  education  as  poor  men  could  then 
obtain  for  their  children.  He  was  sent  to  school  and  taught  to 
read  and  write. 

There  has  been  some  needless  controversy  regarding  Bunyan's 
early  days.  Some  have  too  readily  taken  for  granted  that  he 
was  in  all  respects  a  reprobate  ;  and  others — the  chief  of  whom 
is  Dr  Southey — have  laboured  to  shew  that  there  was  little 
in  the  lad  which  any  would  censure,  save  the  righteous  over- 
much. The  truth  is,  that  considering  his  rank  of  life,  his 
conduct  was  not  flagitious  ;  for  he  never  was  a  drunkard,  a 
libertine,  or  a  lover  of  sanguinary  sports  :  and  the  profanity 
and  sabbath-breaking  and  heart-atheism  which  afterwards  preyed 
on  his  awakened  conscience,  are  unhappily  too  frequent  to  make 
their  perpetrator  conspicuous.     The  thing  which  gave  Bunyan 


U  LIFE  OP  BUNYAN. 

any  -notoriety  in  the  days  of  his  ungodliness,  and  which  made  him 
afterwards  appear  to  himself  such  a  monster  of  iniquity,  was  the 
energy  which  he  put  into  all  his  doings.  He  had  a  zeal  for  idle 
play,  and  an  enthusiasm  in  mischief,  which  were  the  perverse 
manifestations  of  a  forceful  character,  and  which  may  have  well 
entitled  him  to  Southey's  epithet — "  a  hlackguard."  The  reader 
need  not  go  far  to  see  young  Bunyan.  Perhaps  there  is  near 
your  dwelling  an  Elstow — a  quiet  hamlet  of  some  fifty  houses 
sprinkled  about  in  the  picturesque  confusion,  and  with  the  easy 
amplitude  of  space,  which  gives  an  old  English  village  its  look  of 
leisure  and  longevity.  And  it  is  now  verging  to  the  close  of  the 
summer's  day.  The  daws  are  taking  short  excursions  from  the 
steeple,  and  tamer  fowls  have  gone  home  from  the  darkening  and 
dewy  green.  But  old  Bunyan's  donkey  is  still  browzing  there, 
and  yonder  is  old  Bunyan's  self — the  brawny  tramper  dispread 
on  the  settle,  retailing  to  the  more  clownish  residents  tap-room 
wit  and  roadside  news.  However,  it  is  young  Bunyan  you  wish 
to  see.  Yonder  he  is,  the  noisiest  of  the  party,  playing  pitch-and- 
toss — that  one  with  the  shaggy  eyebrows,  whose  entire  soul  is 
ascending  in  the  twirling  penny — grim  enough  to  be  the  black- 
smith's apprentice,  but  his  singed  garments  hanging  round  liim 
with  a  lank  and  idle  freedom  which  scorns  indentures  ;  his  ener- 
getic movements  and  authoritative  vociferations  at  once  bespeak- 
ing the  ragamuffin  ringleader.  The  penny  has  come  down  with 
the  wrong  side  uppermost,  and  the  loud  execration  at  once  bewrays 
young  Badman.  You  have  only  to  remember  that  it  is  Sabbath 
evening,  and  you  witness  a  scene  often  enacted  on  Elstow  green 
two  hundred  years  ago. 

The  strong  depraving  element  in  Bunyan's  character  was  un- 
godlinea.  He  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  ful- 
filling the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind  ;  and  conscious  of 
Ins  own  rebellion,  he  said  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  de- 
si  re  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways."  The  only  restraining  in- 
fluence of  which  he  then  felt  the  power,  was  terror.  His  days  were 
often  gloomy  tlu'ough  forebodings  of  the  wrath  to  come  ;  and  his 
nights  were  scared  with  visions,  which  the  boisterous  diversions 
and  adventures  of  his  waking-day  could  not  always  dispel.  He 
would  dream  that  the  last  day  had  come,  and  that  the  quaking  earth 
was  opening  its  mouth  to  let  liim  down  to  hell  ;  or  he  would  find 
himself  in  the  grasp  of  fiends,  who  were  dragging  him  powerless 
away.  And  musing  over  these  terrors  of  the  night,  yet  feeling  that 


LIFE  OP  BUNTAN.  Ill 

he  could  not  abandon  his  sins,  in  his  despair  of  heaven  his  anxious 
fancy  would  suggest  to  him  all  sorts  of  strange  desires,  lie 
would  wish  that  there  had  been  no  hell  at  all  ;  or  that,  if  he  must 
needs  go  tliither,  he  might  be  a  devil,  "  supposing  they  were 
only  tormentors,  and  I  would  rather  be  a  tormentor  than  tor- 
mented myself." 

These  were  the  fears  of  his  childhood.  As  he  grew  older,  he 
grew  harder.  He  experienced  some  remarkable  providences,  but 
they  neither  startled  nor  melted  him.  He  once  fell  into  the  sea, 
and  another  time  out  of  a  boat  into  Bedford  river,  and  either  time 
had  a  narrow  escape  from  drowning.  One  day  in  the  field  with  a 
companion,  an  adder  glided  across  their  path.  Bunyan's  ready 
switch  stunned  it  in  a  moment ;  but  with  characteristic  daring,  he 
forced  open  the  creature's  mouth,  and  plucked  out  the  sting— a 
foolhardiness  which,  as  he  himself  observes,  might,  but  for  God's 
mercy,  have  brought  him  to  his  end.  In  the  civil  war  he  was 
"  drawn  "  as  a  soldier  to  go  to  the  siege  of  Leicester ;  but  when 
ready  to  set  out,  a  comrade  sought  leave  to  take  his  place.  Bun- 
yan  consented.  His  companion  went  to  Leicester,  and,  standing 
sentry,  was  shot  through  the  head,  and  died.  These  interpositions 
made  no  impression  on  him  at  the  time. 

He  married  very  early :  "  And  my  mercy  was  to  light  upon  a 
wife,  whose  father  was  counted  godly.  This  woman  and  I,  though 
we  came  together  as  poor  as  poor  might  be — not  having  so  much 
household  stuff  as  a  dish  or  spoon  betwixt  us,  yet  this  she  had 
for  her  portion,  'The  Plain  Man's  Pathway  to  Heaven,'  and 
'  The  Practice  of  Piety,'  -which  her  father  had  left  her  when  he 
died.  In  these  two  books  I  would  sometimes  read  with  her; 
wherein  I  also  found  some  tilings  that  were  somewhat  pleasing  to 
me.  She  also  would  be  often  telling  of  me  what  a  godly  man 
her  father  was,  and  what  a  strict  and  holy  life  he  lived  in  his 
days,  both  in  word  and  deeds.  Wherefore  these  books,  with  the 
relation,  though  they  did  not  reach  my  heart  to  awaken  it  about 
my  soul  and  sinful  state,  yet  they  did  beget  within  me  some  de- 
sires to  reform  my  vicious  life,  and  fall  in  very  eagerly  with  the 
religion  of  the  times — to  wit,  to  go  to  church  twice  a-day,  and  that, 
too,°with  the  foremost ;  and  there  should  very  devoutly  both  say 
and  sing  as  others  did,  yet  retaining  my  wicked  life.  But,  withal, 
I  was  so  overrun  with  the  spirit  of  superstition,  that  I  adore- i, 
and  that  with  great  devotion,  even  all  things— the  high-place, 
priest,  clerk,  vestment,  service,  and  what  else  belonging  to  the 


IV  LIFE  OF  BUXYA2T. 

Cliurch ;  counting  all  things  holy  that  were  therein  contained, 
and  especially  the  priest  and  clerk,  most  happy,  and,  without 
doubt,  greatly  blessed,  because  they  were  the  servants,  as  I  then 
thought,  of  God,  and  were  principal  in  the  temple  to  do  his  work 
therein." 

So  strong  was  this  superstitious  feeling — one  shared  by  the 
ignorant  peasantry  in  many  portions  of  England,  even  at  the 
present  day — that  "  had  he  but  seen  a  priest,  though  never  so 
sordid  and  debauched  in  his  life,  his  spirit  would  fall  under 
him;  and  he  could  have  lain  down  at  their  feet  and  been  trampled 
upon  by  them — their  name,  their  garb,  and  work,  did  so  intoxi- 
cate and  bewitch  him."  It  little  matters  what  form  superstition 
takes — image-worship,  priest-worship,  or  temple-worship  ;  nothing 
is  transforming  except  Christ  in  the  heart,  a  Saviour  realized, 
accepted,  and  enthroned.  Whilst  adoring  the  altar,  and  wor- 
shipping the  surplice,  and  deifying  the  individual  who  wore  it, 
Bunyan  continued  to  curse  and  blaspheme,  and  spend  his  Sab- 
baths in  the  same  riot  as  before. 

One  day,  however,  he  heard  a  sermon  on  the  sin  of  Sabbath- 
breaking.  It  fell  heavy  on  his  conscience  ;  for  it  seemed  all  in- 
tended for  him.  It  haunted  him  throughout  the  day,  and  when 
he  went  to  his  usual  diversion  in  the  afternoon,  its  cadence  was 
still  knelling  in  his  troubled  ear.  He  was  busy  at  a  game  called 
"  Cat,"  and  had  already  struck  the  ball  one  blow,  and  was  about 
to  deal  another,  when  "  a  voice  darted  from  heaven  into  his 
soul,  *  Wilt  thou  leave  thy  sins  and  go  to  heaven,  or  have  thy 
sins  and  go  to  hell  V  "  His  arm  was  arrested,  and  looking  up  to 
heaven,  it  seemed  as  if  the  Lord  Jesus  was  looking  down  upon 
him  in  remonstrance  and  severe  displeasure  ;  and,  at  the  same 
instant,  the  conviction  flashed  across  him,  that  he  had  sinned  so 
long  that  repentance  was  now  too  late.  "  My  state  is  surely  miser- 
able— miserable  if  I  leave  my  sins,  and  but  miserable  if  I  follow 
them.  I  ean  but  be  damned  ;  and  if  I  must  be  so,  I  had  as  good 
be  damned  for  many  sins  as  few."  In  the  desperation  of  this 
awful  conclusion  he  resumed  the  game  ;  and  so  persuaded  was  he 
that  heaver  was  for  ever  forfeited,  that  for  some  time  after  he 
made  it  his  deliberate  policy  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  as 
rapidly  and  intensely  as  possible. 

To  understand  the  foregoing  incident,  and  some  which  may 
follow,  the  reader  must  remember  that  Bunyan  was  made  up  of 
vivid  fancy  and  vehement  emotion.     He  seldom   believed  ;  he 


LIFE  OP  EUNYAN.  V 

always  felt  and  saw.  And  he  could  do  nothing  by  halves.  He 
threw  a  whole  heart  into  his  love  and  his  hatred  ;  and  when  he 
rejoiced  or  trembled,  the  entire  man  and  every  movement  was  con- 
verted into  ecstasy  or  horror.  Many  have  experienced  the  dim 
counterpart  of  such  processes  as  we  are  now  describing  ;  but 
will  scarcely  recognise  their  own  equivalent  history  in  the  bright 
realizations  and  agonizing  vicissitudes  of  a  mind  so  fervent  and 
ideal. 

For  a  month  or  more  he  went  on  in  resolute  sinning,  only 
grudging  that  he  could  not  get  such  scope  as  the  madness  of  de- 
spair solicited,  when  one  day  standing  at  a  neighbour's  window, 
cursing  and  swearing,  and  "  playing  the  madman,  after  his  wonted 
manner,"  the  woman  of  the  house  protested  that  he  made  her 
tremble,  and  that  truly  he  was  the  ungodliest  fellow  for  swearing 
that  she  ever  heard  in  all  her  life,  and  quite  enough  to  ruin  the 
youth  of  the  whole  town.  The  woman  was  herself  a  notoriously 
worthless  character  ;  and  so  severe  a  reproof,  from  so  strange  a 
quarter,  had  a  singular  effect  on  Bunyan's  mind.  He  was  in  a 
moment  silenced.  He  blushed  before  the  God  of  heaven  ;  and  as 
he  there  stood  with  hanging  head,  he  wished  with  all  his  heart 
that  he  were  a  little  child  again,  that  his  father  might  teach  him 
to  speak  without  profanity  ;  for  he  thought  it  so  inveterate  now, 
that  reformation  was  out  of  the  question.  Nevertheless,  so  it  was, 
from  tliat  instant  onward  he  was  cured  of  his  wicked  habit,  and 
people  wondered  at  the  change. 

"  Quickly  after  this  I  fell  into  company  with  one  poor  man 
that  made  profession  of  religion  ;  who,  as  I  then  thought,  did  talk 
pleasantly  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  matter  of  religion.  Where- 
fore, falling  into  some  love  and  liking  of  what  he  said,  I  betook 
me  to  my  Bible,  and  began  to  take  great  pleasure  in  reading,  but 
especially  with  the  historical  part  thereof  ;  for  as  for  Paul's  Epis- 
tles, and  such  like  Scriptures,  I  coidd  not  away  with  them,  being 
as  yet  ignorant  either  of  the  corruption  of  my  nature,  or  of  the 
want  and  worth  of  Jesus  Christ  to  save  me.  Wherefore  I  fell 
into  some  outward  reformation,  both  in  my  words  and  life,  and  did 
set  the  commandments  before  me  for  my  way  to  heaven  ; 
which  commandments  I  also  did  strive  to  keep,  and,  as  I  thought, 
did  keep  them  pretty  well  sometimes,  and  then  I  should  have 
comfort ;  yet  now  and  then  should  break  one,  and  so  afflict  my 
conscience  ;  but  then  I  should  repent,  and  say  I  was  sorry  for  it, 
and  promise  God  to  do  better  next  time,  and  there  got  help 


VI  LIFE  OF  BUNYAN. 

again  ;  for  then  I  thought  I  pleased  God  as  well  as  any  man  in 
England.  Thus  I  continued  about  a  year  ;  all  which  time  our 
neighbours  did  take  me  to  be  a  very  godly  man,  a  new  and  reli- 
gious man,  and  did  marvel  much  to  see  such  great  and  famous 
alteration  in  my  life  and  manners  ;  and  indeed  so  it  was,  though 
I  knew  not  Christ,  nor  grace,  nor  faith,  nor  hope  ;  for,  as  I  have 
well  since  seen,  had  I  then  died,  my  state  had  been  most  fearful. 
But,  I  say,  my  neighbours  were  amazed  at  this  my  great  conver- 
sion, from  prodigious  profaneness  to  something  like  a  moral  life  ; 
and  so  they  well  might  ;  for  this  my  conversion  was  as  great  as 
for  Tom  of  Bedlam  to  become  a  sober  man.  Now,  therefore, 
they  began  to  speak  well  of  me,  both  before  my  face  and  behind 
my  back.  Now  I  was,  as  they  said,  become  godly  ;  now  I  was 
become  a  right  honest  man.  But  oh  !  when  I  understood  these 
were  their  words  and  opinions  of  me,  it  pleased  me  mighty  well. 
For  though,  as  yet,  I  was  nothing  but  a  poor  painted  hypocrite, 
yet  I  loved  to  be  talked  of  as  one  that  was  truly  godly.  .  .  . 
And  thus  I  continued  for  about  a  twelvemonth  or  more." 

Though  not  acting  from  enlightened  motives,  Bunyan  was  now 
under  the  guidance  of  new  influences.  For  just  as  the  Spirit  of 
God  puts  forth  a  restraining  influence  on  many  during  the  days 
of  their  carnality,  which  makes  the  change  at  their  conversion 
less  conspicuous  than  if  they  had  been  lifted  from  the  depths  of  a 
flagitious  reprobacy  ;  so  others  he  long  subjects  to  a  preparatory 
process,  during  which  some  of  the  old  and  most  offensive  things 
of  their  ungodliness  pass  away  ;  and  when  the  revolution,  effected 
by  the  entrance  of  the  evangelic  motive,  at  last  takes  place,  it  is 
rather  to  personal  consciousness  than  to  outward  observation 
that  the  change  is  perceptible.  The  real  and  final  transformation 
is  rather  within  the  man  than  upon  him.  So  was  it  with  John 
Bunyan.  One  by  one  he  abandoned  Ins  besetting  sins,  and  made 
many  concessions  to  conscience,  while  as  yet  he  had  not  yielded 
his  heart  to  the  Saviour.  It  was  slowly  and  regretfully,  however, 
that  he  severed  the  "  right  hand."  One  of  his  principal  amuse- 
ments was  one  which  he  could  not  comfortably  continue.  It  was 
beU -ringing ;  by  which  he  pi'obably  means  the  merry  peals  with 
which  they  used  to  desecrate  their  Sabbath  evenings.  It  was  only 
by  degrees  that  he  was  able  to  abandon  this  favourite  diversion. 
"  What  if  one  of  the  bells  should  fall  I"  To  provide  against  this 
contingency,  he  took  his  stand  under  a  beam  fastened  across  the 
tower.     "  But  what  if  the  tailing  bell  should  rebound  from  one  o* 


LIFE  OF  RUNYAN.  x[{ 

the  side  walls,  and  hit  me  after  all  ?"  Tliis  thought  sent  him  down 
stairs,  and  made  him  take  his  station,  rope  hi  hand,  at  the  steeple 
door.  "  But  what  if  the  steeple  itself  should  come  down  \ "  This 
thought  banished  him  altogether,  and  he  bade  adieu  to  bell-ring- 
ing. And  by  a  similar  series  of  concessions,  eventually,  but  with 
longer  delay,  he  gave  up  another  practice,  for  which  his  con- 
science checked  him — dancing.  All  these  improvements  in  his 
conduct  were  a  source  of  much  complacency  to  himself,  though 
all  this  while  he  wanted  the  soul-emancipating  and  sin-subduing 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ.     The  Son  had  not  made  him  free. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  cant.  It  is  possible  for  flippant  pre- 
tenders to  acquire  a  peculiar  phraseology,  and  use  it  with  a  pain- 
ful dexterity  ;  and  it  is  also  possible  for  genuine  Christians  to 
subside  into  a  state  of  mind  so  listless  or  secular,  that  their  talk 
on  religious  topics  will  have  the  inane  and  heartless  sound  of  the 
tinkling  cymbal.  But  as  there  is  an  experimental  religion,  so  is  it 
possible  for  those  who  have  felt  religion  in  its  vitality  to  exchange 
their  thoughts  regarding  it,  and  to  relate  what  it — or  rather,  God  In 
it — has  done  for  them.  There  are  few  things  which  indicate  a 
healthier  state  of  personal  piety  than  such  a  frank  and  full- 
hearted  Christian  intercourse.  It  was  a  specimen  of  such  com- 
munings which  impressed  on  the  mind  of  Bunyan  the  need  of 
something  beyond  an  outside  reformation.  He  had  gone  to  Bed- 
ford in  prosecution  of  his  calling,  when,  passing  along  the  street, 
he  noticed  a  few  poor  women  sitting  in  a  door-way,  and  talking 
together.  He  drew  near  to  listen  to  their  discourse.  It  sur- 
prised him  ;  for  though  he  had  by  this  time  become  a  great 
talker  on  sacred  subjects,  their  themes  were  far  beyond  his  reach. 
God's  work  in  their  souls,  the  views  they  had  obtained  of  their 
natural  misery  and  of  God's  love  in  Christ  Jesus,  what  words 
and  promises  had  particularly  refreshed  them  and  strengthened 
them  against  the  temptations  of  Satan  ;  it  was  of  matters  so  per- 
gonal and  vital  that  they  spake  to  one  another.  "  And  methought 
they  spake  as  if  you  had  made  them  speak  ;  they  spake  with 
ench  pleasantness  of  Scripture  language,  and  with  such  appear- 
ance of  grace  in  all  they  said,  that  they  were  to  me  as  if  they  had 
found  a  new  world — as  if  they  were  '  people  that  dwelt  alone, 
and  were  not  to  be  reckoned  among  their  neighbours  ! '  " 

The  conversation  of  these  poor  people  made  a  deep  impression 
on  Bunyan's  mind.  He  saw  that  there  was  something  in  real  reli 
gion  into  which  he  had  not  yet  penetrated.     He  sought  the  society 


Vlll  LIFE  OF  BUNYAN. 

of  these  humble  instructors,  and  learned  from  them  much  that  he 
had  not  known  before.  He  began  to  read  the  Bible  with  new  avi- 
dity ;  and  that  portion  which  had  formerly  been  most  distasteful, 
the  Epistles  of  Paul,  now  became  the  subject  of  his  special  study. 
A  sect  of  Antinomians,  who  boasted  that  they  could  do  whatsoever 
they  pleased  without  sinning,  now  fell  in  his  way.  Professors  of 
religion  were  rapidly  embracing  their  opinions,  and  there  was 
something  in  their  wild  fervour  and  apparent  raptures,  prepos- 
sessing to  the  ardent  mind  of  Bunyan.  He  read  their  books,  and 
pondered  their  principles  ;  but  prefaced  his  examination  with  the 
simple  prayer, — "  0  Lord,  I  am  a  fool,  and  not  able  to  know  the 
truth  from  error.  Lord,  leave  me  not  to  my  own  blindness.  If 
this  doctrine  be  of  God,  let  me  not  despise  it  ;  if  it  be  of  the  devil, 
let  me  not  embrace  it.  Lord,  in  this  matter  I  lay  my  soul  only  at 
thy  foot  :  let  me  not  be  deceived,  I  humbly  beseech  thee."  His 
prayer  was  heard,  and  he  was  saved  from  tins  snare  of  the 
devil. 

The  object  to  which  the  eye  of  an  inquiring  sinner  should  be 
turned,  is  Christ — the  finished  work  and  the  sufficient  Saviour. 
But,  in  point  of  fact,  the  chief  stress  of  the  more  evangelical  in- 
struction has  usually  been  laid  on  Faith — on  that  act  of  the  mind 
wliich  unites  the  soul  to  the  Saviour,  and  makes  salvation  per- 
sonal ;  and  it  is  only  by  studying  faith  that  many  have  come  at 
last  to  an  indirect  and  circuitous  acquaintance  with  Christ.  By 
some  such  misdirection  Bunyan  was  misled.  In  quest  of  faith  he 
went  a  long  and  joyless  journey,  and  was  wearied  with  the  greatness 
of  his  way.  It  was  secretly  urged  upon  his  mind,  that  if  he  had 
faith  he  would  be  able  to  work  miracles  ;  and  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture were  borne  in  upon  his  mind,  which  bespoke  the  omnipotence 
of  faith.  One  day,  on  the  road  from  Elstow  to  Bedford,  it  was 
suggested  to  his  mind  to  try  some  miracle,  and  that  miracle  should 
be,  "  to  say  to  the  puddles  wliich  were  in  the  horse-pads,  *  Be  dry,' 
and  to  the  dry  places,  l  Be  you  puddles.'  "  However,  before 
doing  this,  he  thought  he  should  go  over  the  hedge  and  pray  for 
faith,  and  then  come  and  speak  the  word.  "  But  what  if,  after 
you  have  prayed  and  tried  to  do  it,  nothing  happens  !"  The 
dread  of  this  alternative  made  him  postpone  the  anxious  experi- 
ment, and  left  him  still  in  doubt. 

Then  he  had  a  sort  of  waking  vision,  suggested  by  what  he  had 
seen  in  his  pious  friends  at  Bedford.  "  I  saw  as  if  they  were  on 
the  sunny  side  of  some  high  mountain,  there  refreshing  themselves 


LIFE  OF  BUNTAN.  IX 

with  the  pleasant  beams  of  the  sun,  while  I  was  shivering  and 
shrinking  in  the  cold,  afflicted  with  frost,  snow,  and  dark  clouds. 
Methought  also,  betwixt  me  and  them,  I  saw  a  wall  that  did  com- 
pass about  this  mountain  ;  now  through  this  wall  my  soul  did 
greatly  desire  to  pass,  concluding  that  if  I  could,  I  would  even 
go  into  the  very  midst  of  them,  and  there  also  comfort  myself  with 
the  heat  of  their  sun.  About  this  wall  I  thought  myself  to  go 
again  and  again,  still  prying  as  I  went,  to  see  if  I  could  find 
some  gap  or  passage  to  enter  therein.  But  none  could  I  find  for 
some  time.  At  the  last  I  saw,  as  it  were,  a  narrow  gap,  like  a 
little  doorway  in  the  wall,  through  which  I  attempted  to  pass. 
Now,  the  passage  being  very  strait  and  narrow,  I  made  many 
offers  to  get  in,  but  all  in  vain,  even  until  I  was  wellnigh  quite 
beat  out,  by  striving  to  get  in.  At  last,  with  great  striving,  me- 
thought I  at  first  did  get  in  my  head,  and  after  that,  by  a  sideling 
striving,  my  shoulders  and  my  whole  body.*  Then  was  I  exceed- 
ing glad  ;  went  and  sat  down  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  so  was 
comforted  with  the  light  and  heat  of  their  sun.  Now,  this  moun- 
tain and  wall  were  thus  made  out  to  me  :  The  mountain  signified 
the  church  of  the  living  God  ;  the  sun  that  shone  thereon,  the 
comfortable  shining  of  his  merciful  face  on  them  that  were  therein  : 
the  wall,  I  thought,  was  the  world,  that  did  make  separation  be- 
tween the  Christians  and  the  world. ;  and  the  gap  which  was  in 
the  wall,  I  thought  was  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  way  to  God  the 
Father.  But  forasmuch  as  the  passage  was  wonderful  narrow, 
even  so  narrow  that  I  could  not,  but  with  great  difficulty,  enter  in 
thereat,  it  shewed  me  that  none  could  enter  into  life  but  those 
that  were  in  downright  earnest,  and  unless  they  left  that  wicked 
world  behind  them  ;  for  here  was  only  room  for  body  and  soul, 
but  not  for  body  and  soul  and  sin."  The  dream  did  him  good, 
for,  though  it  brought  him  no  absolute  assurance,  it  inspirited  his 
efforts  after  it. 

There  is  scarcely  a  fear  which  can  assail  an  inquiring  spirit 
which  did  not  at  some  stage  of  his  progress  arrest  the  mind  of 
Bunyan.  At  one  time  he  was  afflicted  by  an  erroneous  view 
of  the  doctrine  of  election.  Looking  at  them  from  the  outer  and 
under  side,  those  purposes  of  everlasting  love  which  secure  their 
safety  who  have  already  got  within  the  precincts  of  salvation,  ap- 

*  Those  who  are  interested  in  the  historic  parallels  supplied  hy  Christian 
biography  will  find  a  similar  instructive  dream  in  the  Life  of  General  Burn, 
vol.  i.  pp.  127-130. 


X  LIFE  OF  BUNYAN. 

peared  bristling  and  forbidding — a  frowning  chevaux  de  frisc, 
rather  than  a  fence  of  protection  and  preservation.  And  when 
somewhat  relieved  from  this  perplexity,  he  fell  into  another.  He 
feared  that  the  day  of  grace  was  gone  ;  and  so  impressed  on  his 
mind  was  this  mournful  conviction,  that  he  could  do  little  else 
than  upbraid  his  own  infatuation  for  allowing  the  one  propitious 
season  to  pass  for  ever  away.  But  the  words,  "  Compel  them  to 
come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled  ;"  and  those  others,  "  And 
yet  there  is  room,"  brought  him  relief.  Then,  again,  he  saw  that 
the  call  of  Christ  was  needful  to  make  a  man  a  disciple ;  and  he 
feared  that  he  should  never  get  that  call.  "  But  oh  !  how  I  now 
loved  those  words  that  spake  of  a  Christian's  calling  !  as  when 
the  Lord  said  to  one,  Follow  me ;  and  to  another,  Come  after 
me  :  and  oh  !  thought  I,  that  he  would  say  so  to  me  too  :  how 
gladly  would  I  run  after  him  !  How  lovely  now  was  every  one  in 
my  eyes,  that  I  thought  to  be  converted,  whether  man  or  woman  ! 
They  shone,  they  walked  like  a  people  that  carried  the  broad  seal 
of  heaven  upon  them.  Oh  !  I  saw  the  lot  was  fallen  to  them  in 
pleasant  places,  and  they  had  a  goodly  heritage.  But  that  winch 
made  me  sick,  was  that  of  Christ, — '  He  went  up  into  a  moun- 
tain, and  called  to  him  whom  he  would,  and  they  came  unto  him.' 
This  Scripture  made  me  faint  and  fear,  yet  it  kindled  fire  in  my 
soul.  That  which  made  me  fear  was  this  :  lest  Christ  should  have 
no  liking  to  me,  for  he  called  whom  he  would.  But  oh  !  the 
glory  tliat  I  saw  in  that  condition  did  still  so  engage  my  heart, 
that  I  coidd  seldom  read  of  any  that  Christ  did  call  but  I  pre- 
sently wished,  *  Would  I  had  been  in  their  clothes  !  would  I 
had  been  born  Peter  !  would  I  had  been  born  John  !  or,  would  I 
had  been  bye,  and  had  heard  him  when  he  called  them,  how 
would  1  have  cried,  0  Lord,  call  me  also.  But  oh  !  I  feared  he 
would  not  call  me.'  " 

There  was  at  that  time  a  minister  in  Bedford  whose  history 
was  almost  as  remarkable  as  Bunyan's  own.  His  name  was 
Gifford.  He  liad  been  a  staunch  royalist,  and  concerned  in  the 
rising  in  Kent.  He  was  arrested,  and,  with  eleven  of  his  com- 
rades, was  doomed  to  die.  The  night  before  the  day  fixed  for 
his  execution  his  sister  came  to  visit  him.  She  found  the  guard 
asleep,  and,  with  her  assistance,  the  prisoner  effected  his  escape. 
For  tJu*ee  days  he  was  hid  in  a  field,  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
ditch  ;  but  at  last  he  contrived  to  get  away  to  a  place  of  safety 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bedford.     Being  there  a  perfect  stranger, 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XI 

he  ventured  on  the  practice  of  physic  ;  but  he  was  still  abandoned 
to  reckless  habits  and  outrageous  vice.  One  evening  he  lost  a 
large  sum  of  money  at  the  gaming-table,  and  in  the  fierceness  of 
his  chagrin  his  mind  was  filled  with  the  most  desperate  thoughts 
of  the  providence  of  God.  In  his  vexation  he  snatched  up  a 
book.  It  was  a  volume  of  Bolton,  a  solemn  and  forceful  writer 
then  well  known.  A  sentence  in  this  book  so  fixed  on  his  con- 
science that  for  many  weeks  he  could  get  no  rest  in  his  spirit. 
When  at  last  he  found  forgiveness  through  the  blood  of  Christ, 
his  joy  was  extreme,  and,  except  for  two  days  before  his  death, 
he  never  lost  the  comfortable  persuasion  of  God's  love.  For  some 
time  the  few  pious  individuals  in  that  neighbourhood  would  not 
believe  that  such  a  reprobate  was  really  converted  ;  but,  nothing 
daunted  by  their  distrust,  like  his  prototype  of  Tarsus,  he  began 
to  preach  the  Word  with  boldness,  and,  endowed  with  a  vigorous 
mind  and  a  fervent  spirit,  remarkable  success  attended  his  minis- 
try. A  little  church  was  formed,  and  he  was  invited  to  become 
its  pastor  ;  and  there  he  continued  till  he  died.*  It  was  to  this 
Mr  Gifford  that  Bunyan  was  at  this  time  introduced  ;  and  though 
the  conversations  of  this  "  Evangelist"  brought  him  no  immediate 
comfort,  it  was  well  for  him  to  enjoy  the  friendship  and  sympa- 
thy of  one  whose  own  views  were  so  clear  and  happy. 

It  is  instructive  to  find,  that,  amid  all  the  depression  of  these 
anxious  days,  it  was  not  any  one  sin,  nor  any  particular  class  of 
sins,  which  made  him  so  fearful  and  unhappy.  He  felt  that  he 
was  a  sinner,  and  as  a  sinner  he  wanted  a  perfect  righteousness 
to  present  him  faultless  before  God.  This  righteousness,  he  also 
knew,  was  nowhere  to  be  found  except  in  the  person  of  Jesus 
Christ.  "  My  original  and  inward  pollution, — that  was  my  plague 
and  affliction.  That  I  saw  at  a  dreadful  rate,  always  putting 
forth  itself  within  me, — that  I  had  the  guilt  of  to  amazement ;  by 
reason  of  that  I  was  more  loathsome  in  mine  own  eyes  than  a  toad  ; 
and  I  thought  1  was  so  in  God's  eyes  too.  Sin  and  corruption,  I 
said,  would  as  naturally  bubble  out  of  my  heart  as  water  would 
out  of  a  fountain.  I  thought  now  that  every  one  had  a  better 
heart  than  I  had.  I  could  have  changed  hearts  with  any  body.  I 
thought  none  but  the  devil  himself  could  equalize  me  for  inward 
wickedness  and  pollution  of  mind.  I  fell,  therefore,  at  the  sight 
of  my  own  vileness,  deeply  into  despair ;  for  I  concluded  that  this 

*  Ivimey's  Life  of  Bunyan,  pp.  51-63. 


Xll  LIFE  OF  BtTNYAN. 

condition  that  I  was  in  could  not  stand  with  a  state  of  grace. 
Sure,  thought  I,  I  am  forsaken  of  God  ;  sure  I  am  given  up  to 
the  devil  and  a  reprobate  mind.  And  thus  I  continued  a  long 
while,  even  for  some  years  together." 

During  these  painful  apprehensions  regarding  his  own  state,  it 
is  no  marvel  that  he  looked  on  secular  things  with  an  apathetic 
eye.  "  While  thus  afflicted  with  the  fears  of  my  own  damnation, 
there  were  two  things  would  make  me  wonder  :  the  one  was,  when 
I  saw  old  people  hunting  after  the  tilings  of  this  life,  as  if  they 
should  live  here  always  ;  the  other  was,  when  I  found  professors 
much  distressed  and  cast  down  when  they  met  with  outward  losses, 
as  of  husband,  wife,  child,  &c.  Lord,  thought  I,  what  a-do  is 
here  about  such  little  things  as  these  !  What  seeking  after  car- 
nal things  by  some,  and  what  grief  in  others  for  the  loss  of  them  ! 
If  they  so  much  labour  after,  and  shed  so  many  tears  for  the 
things  of  this  present  life,  how  am  I  to  be  bemoaned,  pitied,  and 
prayed  for  !  My  soul  is  dying,  my  soul  is  damning.  Were  my 
soul  but  in  a  good  condition,  and  were  I  but  sure  of  it,  ah  !  how 
rich  would  I  esteem  myself,  though  blessed  but  with  bread  and 
water  !  I  should  count  those  but  small  afflictions,  and  bear  them 
as  little  burdens.     A  wounded  spirit  who  can  bear  !" 

This  long  interval  of  gloom  was  at  last  relieved  by  a  brief  sun- 
burst of  joy.  He  heard  a  sermon  on  the  text,  "  Behold,  thou  art 
fair,  my  love  ;"  in  which  the  preacher  said,  that  a  ransomed  soul 
is  precious  to  the  Saviour,  even  when  it  appears  very  worthless  to 
itself, — that  Christ  loves  it  when  tempted,  assaulted,  afflicted,  and 
mourning  under  the  hiding  of  God's  countenance.  Bunyan  went 
home  musing  on  the  words,  till  the  truth  of  what  the  preacher 
Baid  began  to  force  itself  upon  his  mind  ;  and  half  incredulous  at 
first,  a  hesitating  hope  dawned  in  upon  his  spirit.  "  Then  I  be- 
gan to  give  place  to  the  word,  which,  with  power,  did  over  and 
over  make  this  joyful  sound  within  my  soul — :"  Thou  art  my  love, 
thou  art  my  love  ;  and  nothing  shall  separate  thee  from  my  love." 
And  with  that  my  heart  was  filled  full  of  comfort  and  hope  ;  and 
now  I  could  believe  that  my  sins  should  be  forgiven  me  :  yea,  I 
was  now  so  taken  with  the  love  and  mercy  of  God,  that  I  remem- 
ber I  could  not  tell  how  to  contain  till  I  got  home.  I  thought  I 
could  have  spoken  of  his  love,  and  have  told  of  his  mercy  to  me, 
even  to  the  very  crows  that  sat  upon  the  ploughed  lands  before 
me,  had  they  been  capable  to  have  understood  me.  Wherefore, 
I  said  in  my  soul,  with  much  gladness,  Well,  I  would  I  had  pen 


LIFE  OF  BUKYAN.  Xlll 

and  ink  here.  1  would  write  this  down  before  I  go  any  farther  ; 
for  surely  1  will  not  forget  this  forty  years  hence." 

However,  as  he  himself  remark?,  in  less  than  forty  days  he  had 
forgotten  it  all.  A  flood  of  new  and  fierce  temptations  broke  over 
him,  and  had  it  not  been  for  a  strong  sustaining  arm  which  un- 
seen upheld  him,  his  soul  must  have  sunk  in  the  deep  and  angry 
waters.  At  one  time  he  was  almost  overwhelmed  in  a  hurricane 
of  blasphemous  suggestions,  and  at  another  time  his  faith  had 
wellnigh  made  shipwreck  on  the  shoals  of  infidelity  or  deliberate 
atheism.  But  the  very  reluctance  and  dismay  of  his  spirit  shewed 
that  a  new  nature  was  in  him.  "  I  often,  when  these  temptations 
have  been  with  force  upon  me,  did  compare  myself  to  the  case  of 
such  a  child  whom  some  gipsy  hath  by  force  took  up  in  her 
arms,  and  is  carrying  from  friend  and  country  ;  kick  sometimes 
I  did,  and  also  shriek  and  cry  ;  but  yet  I  was  bound  in  the 
wings  of  the  temptation,  and  the  wind  would  carry  me  away."  It 
was  all  that  lie  could  do  to  refrain  from  articulating  such  words 
as  he  imagined  would  amount  to  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  ; 
and  for  a  year  together  he  was  haunted  with  such  diabolical  sug- 
gestions that  he  was  weary  of  his  life,  and  fain  would  have  changed 
condition  with  a  horse  or  a  dog.  During  this  dreary  term  it  is 
no  wonder  that  his  heart  felt  hard.  "  Though  he  should  have 
given  a  thousand  pounds  for  a  tear,  he  could  not  shed  one  ;  and 
often  he  had  not  even  the  desire  to  shed  one."  Every  ordinance 
was  an  affliction.  He  could  not  listen  to  a  sermon,  or  take  up  a 
religious  book,  but  a  crowd  of  wild  and  horrid  fancies  rushed  in 
betwixt  the  subject  and  his  bewildered  mind.  He  could  not  as- 
sume the  attitude  of  prayer  but  he  felt  impelled  to  break  off, 
almost  as  if  some  one  had  been  pulling  him  away  ;  or,  to  mar  his 
devotion,  some  ridiculous  object  was  sure  to  be  presented  to  his 
fancy.  It  is  not  surprising  that  he  should  have  concluded  that 
he  was  possessed  by  the  devil  ;  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
peruse  his  own  and  similar  recitals  without  the  forcible  convic- 
tion that  they  are  more  than  the  mere  workings  of  the  mind,  either 
in  its  sane  or  its  disordered  state. 

Only  relieved  by  some  glimpses  of  comfort,  "  which,  like 
Peter's  sheet,  were  of  a  sudden  caught  up  from  him  into  heaven 
again,"  this  horrible  darkness  lasted  no  less  than  a  year.  The 
light  which  first  stole  in  upon  it,  and  in  which  it  finally  melted 
away,  was  a  clear  discovery  of  the  person  of  Christ,  more  espe- 
cially a   distinct  perception  of  the  dispositions  which  he  inani- 


XIV  LIFE  OF  BUN  VAN. 

i'ostcd  while  here  on  earth.  And  one  thing  greatly  helped  him. 
He  alighted  on  a  congenial  mind,  and  an  experience  almost  iden- 
tical with  his  own.  From  the  emancipation  which  this  new  acquain- 
tance gave  to  his  spirit,  as  well  as  the  tone  which  he  imparled  to 
Bun  van's  theology,  we  had  hest  relate  the  incident  in  his  own  words. 
"Before  I  had  got  thus  far  out  of  my  temptations,  I  did  greatly 
long  to  see  some  ancient  godly  man's  experience,  who  had  writ 
some  hundreds  of  years  before  I  was  born  ;  for  those  who  had 
writ  in  our  days,  I  thought  (but  I  desire  them  now  to  pardon  me) 
that  they  had  writ  only  that  which  others  felt ;  or  else  had, 
through  the  strength  oi  their  wits  and  parts,  studied  to  answer 
such  objections  as  tney  perceived  others  perplexed  with,  without 
going  down  themselves  into  the  deep.  Well,  after  many  such 
longings  in  my  mind,  the  God  in  whose  hands  are  all  our  days 
and  ways,  did  cast  into  my  hands  one  day  a  book  of  Martin 
Luther's  :  it  was  his  Comment  on  the  Galatians  ;  it  also  was  so 
old  that  it  was  ready  to  fall  piece  from  piece  if  I  did  but  turn  it 
over.  Now  I  was  pleased  much  that  such  an  old  book  had  fallen 
into  my  hands ;  the  which,  when  I  had  but  a  little  way  perused, 
I  found  my  condition  in* his  experience  so  largely  and  profoundly 
handled,  as  if  his  book'had  been  written  out  of  my  heart.  This 
made  me  marvel :  for  thus,  thought  I,  this  man  could  not  know 
anything  of  the  state  of  Christians  now,  but  must  needs  write  and 
speak  the  expedience  of  former  days.  Besides,  he  doth  most 
gravely  also,  in  that  book,  debate  of  the  sin  of  these  temptations, 
namely,  blasphemy,  desperation,  and  the  like  ;  shewing  that  the 
law  of  Moses,  as  well  as  the  devil,  death,  and  hell,  hath  a  very 
great  hand  therein  :  the  which,  at  first,  was  very  strange  to  me  ; 
kut  considering  and  watching,  I  found  it  so  indeed.  But  of  par- 
ticulars here  I  intend  nothing  ;  only  this,  methinks,  I  must  let 
fall  before  all  men,  I  do  prefer  this  book  of  Martin  Luther  upon 
the  Galatians — excepting  the  Holy  Bible — before  all  the  books 
that  ever  I  have  seen,  as  most  fit  for  a  wounded  conscience." 

There  was  one  thing  of  which  Bunyan  was  very  conscious — 
that  his  extrication  from  the  fearful  pit  was  the  work  of  an  al- 
mighty hand.  The  transition  was  very  blissful ;  but  just  because 
his  present  views  were  so  bright  and  assuring,  he  knew  that  flesh 
and  blood  had  not  revealed  them.  "  Now  1  had  an  evidence,  as 
I  thought,  of  my  salvation  from  heaven,  with  many  golden  seals 
thereon,  all  hanging  in  my  sight.  Now  could  I  remember  this 
manifestation  and  the  other  discovery  of  grace  with  comfort,  and 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XV 

should  often  long  and  desire  that  the  last  day  were  come,  that  I 
might  be  for  ever  inflamed  with  the  sight  and  joy  and  communion 
with  liim,  whose  head  was  crowned  with  thorns,  whose  face  was 
spit  on  and  body  broken,  and  soul  made  an  offering  for  my  sins  : 
for,  whereas  before  I  lay  continually  trembling  at  the  mouth  of 
hell,  now  methought  I  was  got  so  far  therefrom,  that  I  could  not, 
when  I  looked  back,  scarce  discern  it.  And  oh  !  thought  I,  that 
I  were  fourscore  years  old  now,  that  I  might  die  quickly,  that 
my  soul  might  be  gone  to  rest."  "  And  now  I  found,  as  I 
thought,  that  I  loved  Christ  dearly.  Oh  !  methought  that  my 
soul  cleaved  unto  him,  my  affections  cleaved  unto  him.  I  felt 
love  to  him  as  hot  as  fire  ;  and  now,  as  Job  said,  I  thought  I 
should  die  in  my  nest." 

Another  period  of  fearful  agony,  however,  awaited  him,  and, 
like  the  last,  it  continued  for  a  year.  In  perusing  his  own  recital 
of  these  terrible  conflicts,  the  first  relief  to  our  tortured  sympathy 
is  in  the  recollection  that  it  is  all  over  now,  and  that  the  sufferer, 
escaped  from  his  great  tribulation,  is  long  ago  before  the  throne. 
But  in  the  calmer,  because  remoter,  contemplation  of  this  fiery 
trial,  it  is  easy  to  see  "  the  end  of  the  Lord."  When  He  per- 
mitted Satan  to  tempt  his  servant  Job,  it  was  not  for  Job's  sake 
merely,  nor  for  the  sake  of  the  blessed  contrast  which  surprised 
his  latter  days,  that  he  allowed  such  thick-coming  woes  to  gather 
round  the  patriarch  ;  but  it  was  to  provide  in  his  parallel  expe- 
rience a  storehouse  of  encouragement  and  hope  for  the  future 
children  of  sorrow.  And  when  the  Lord  permitted  the  adversary 
so  violently  to  assail  our  worthy,  and  when  he  caused  so  many  of 
his  own  waves  and  billows  to  pass  over  him,  it  was  not  merely 
for  the  sake  of  Bunyan  ;  it  was  for  the  sake  of  Bunyan's  readers 
down  to  the  end  of  time.  By  selecting  this  strong  spirit  as  the 
subject  of  these  trials,  the  Lord  provided,  in  his  intense  feelings 
and  vivid  realizations,  a  normal  type— a  glaring  instance  of  those 
experiences  which,  in  their  fainter  modifications,  are  common  to 
most  Christians  ;  and,  through  his  graphic  pen,  secured  a  guide- 
book for  Zion's  pilgrims  in  ages  yet  to  come.  In  the  tempta- 
tions we  are  now  called  to  record,  there  is  something  so  peculiar, 
that  we  do  not  know  if  Christian  biography  supplies  any  exact 
counterpart  ;  but  the  time  and  manner  of  its  occurrence  have 
many  and  painful  parallels.  It  was  after  he  had  entered  -into 
"  rest" — when  he  had  received  joyful  assurance  of  his  admission 
into  God's  family,  and  was  desiring  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ 


XVI  LIFE  OF  BT WAN. 

■ — it  was  then  that  this  assault  was  made  on  his  constancy,  and  it 
was  a  fiercer  assault  than  any.  If  we  do  not  greatly  err,  it  is 
not  uncommon  for  believers  to  be  visited  after  conversion  with 
temptations  from  which  they  were  exempt  in  the  days  of  their 
ignorance  ;  as  well  as  temptations  which,  but  for  their  conversion, 
could  not  have  existed. 

The  temptation  to  which  we  have  alluded,  took  this  strange 
and  dreadful  form — to  sell  and  part  with  his  Saviour,  to  exchange 
him  for  the  things  of  this  life — for  anything.  This  horrid  thought 
he  could  not  shake  out  of  his  mind,  day  nor  night,  for  many 
months  together.  It  intermixed  itself  with  every  occupation, 
however  sacred,  or  however  trivial.  u  He  could  not  eat  his 
food,  stoop  for  a  pin,  chop  a  stick,  nor  cast  his  eye  to  look  on 
this  or  that,  but  still  the  temptation  would  come, '  Sell  Christ  for 
this,  sell  Christ  for  that,  sell  him,  sell  him.'  Sometimes  it 
would  run  in  my  thoughts  not  so  little  as  a  hundred  times  toge- 
ther, Sell  him,  sell  him,  sell  him :  Against  which,  I  may  say,  for 
whole  hours  together,  1  have  been  forced  to  stand  as  continually 
leaning  and  forcing  my  spirit  against  it ;  lest  haply,  before  I  was 
aware,  some  wicked  thought  might  arise  in  my  heart  that  might 
consent  thereto  :  and  sometimes  the  tempter  would  make  me  be- 
lieve I  had  consented  to  it ;  but  then  should  I  be  as  tortured  on. 
a  rack  for  whole  days  together." — (i  But,  to  be  brief,  one  morning 
as  I  did  he  in  my  bed,  I  was,  as  at  other  times,  most  fiercely  as- 
saulted with  this  temptation  to  sell  and  part  with  Christ — the 
wicked  suggestion  still  running  in  my  mind,  Sell  him,  sell  him, 
sell  him,  sell  him,  as  fast  as  a  man  could  speak,  against  which  1 
also,  as  at  other  times,  answered,  No,  no;  not  for  thousands, 
thousands,  thousands,  at  least  twenty  times  together.  But  at 
last,  after  much  striving,  even  until  I  was  almost  out  of  breath,  I 
felt  this  thought  pass  through  my  heart,  Let  him  go,  if  he  will ; 
and  I  thought  also  that  I  felt  my  heart  freely  consent  thereto. 
Oh,  the  diligence  of  Satan  !  Oh,  the  desperateness  of  man's 
heart !  Now  was  the  battle  won,  and  down  fell  I,  as  a  bird  that 
is  shot  from  the  top  of  a  tree,  into  great  guilt  and  fearful  de- 
spair. Thus  getting  out  of  my  bed,  I  went  moping  into  the 
field,  but,  God  knows,  with  as  heavy  a  heart  as  mortal  man,  I 
think,  could  bear.  Where,  for  the  space  of  two  hours,  I  was  like 
a  man  bereft  of  life,  and  as  now  past  all  recovery,  and  bound 
over  to  eternal  punishment.  And  withal,  that  scripture  did 
seize  upon  my  soul, '  0  profane  person,  as  Esau,  who,  for  one 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XV11 

morsel  of  meat,  sold  his  birth-right ;  for  ye  know  how  that  after- 
wards, when  he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  re- 
jected ;  for  he  found  no  place  of  repentance,  though  he  sought  it 
taivfully  with  tears.'  These  words  were  to  my  soul  like  fetters 
>>f  brass,  in  the  continual  sound  of  which  I  went  for  several 
months  together." 

The  anxious  casuistry  in  which  lie  sought  relief,  and  the  alter- 
nation of  wistful  hope  and  blank  despair,  in  which  for  many  a 
dismal  day  he  was  tossed  to  and  fro,  none  but  himself  can  pro- 
perly describe.  They  are  deeply  affecting,  and  to  some  may 
prove  instructive. 

"  Then  began  I,  with  sad  and  careful  heart,  to  consider  of  the 
nature  and  largeness  of  my  sin,  and  to  search  into  the  word  of 
God,  if  in  any  place  I  could  espy  a  word  of  promise,  or  any  en- 
couraging sentence  by  which  I  might  take  relief.  Wherefore  I 
began  to  consider  that  of  Mark  in.,  '  All  manner  of  sins  and 
blasphemies  shall  be  forgiven  unto  the  sons  of  men,  wherewith 
soever  they  shall  blaspheme  :'  which  place,  methought,  at  a 
biush,  did  contain  a  large  and  glorious  promise  for  the  pardon  of 
high  offences.  But  considering  the  place  more  fully,  1  thought 
it  was  rather  to  be  understood  as  relating  more  chiefly  to  those 
who  had,  while  in  a  natural  state,  committed  such  things  as 
there  are  mentioned ;  but  not  to  me,  wh'o  had  not  only  received 
light  and  mercy,  but  that  had,  both  after  and  also  contrary  to 
that,  so  slighted  Christ  as  I  had  done.  I  feared,  therefore,  that 
this  wicked  sin  of  mine  might  be  that  sin  unpardonable,  of  which 
he  there  thus  speaketh,  '  But  he  that  blasphemeth  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  hath  never  forgiveness,  but  is  in  danger  of  eternal 
damnation.' 

"  And  now  was  I  both  a  burden  and  a  terror  to  myself ;  nor 
did  I  ever  so  know  as  now  what  it  was  to  be  weary  of  my  life  and 
yet  afraid  to  die.  0  how  gladly  would  I  have  been  anybody  but 
myself !  anything  but  a  man  !  and  in  any  condition  but  my  own  ! 
for  there  was  nothing  did  pass  more  frequently  over  my  mind, 
than  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  be  forgiven  my  transgres- 
sion, and  to  be  saved  from  wrath  to  come." 

He  set  himself  to  compare  his  sin  with  that  of  David  and 
Peter,  but  saw  that  there  were  specialties  in  his  guilt  which  made 
it  far  greater.  The  only  case  which  he  could  compare  to  his  own 
was  that  of  Judas. 

"  About  this  time  I  did  light  on  the  dreadful  story  of  thai  mi- 


XV111  LIFE  OF  BUN Y AX. 

serable  mortal,  Francis  Spira.  Every  sentence  in  that  book, 
every  groan  of  that  man,  with  all  the  rest  of  Ins  actions  in  his 
dolors,  as  his  tears,  his  prayers,  his  gnashing  of  teeth,  his  wring- 
ing of  hands,  his  twisting,  and  languishing,  and  pining  away,  un- 
der the  mighty  hand  of  God  that  was  upon  him,  was  as  knives 
and  daggers  to  my  soul ;  especially  that  sentence  of  his  was 
frightful  to  me,  '  Man  knows  the  beginning  of  sin,  but  who 
bounds  the  issues  thereof  ?'  Then  would  the  former  sentence,  as 
the  conclusion  of  all,  fall  like  a  hot  thunderbolt  again  upon  my 
conscience, '  For  you  know  how,  that  afterwards,  when  he  would 
have  inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  rejected ;  for  he  found  no 
place  of  repentance,  though  he  sought  it  carefully  with  tears.' 
Then  should  I  be  struck  into  a  very  great  trembling,  insomuch 
that  at  sometimes  I  could,  for  whole  days  together,  feel  my  very 
body,  as  well  as  my  mind,  to  shake  and  totter  under  the  sense  of 
this  dreadful  judgment  of  God. 

"  Now  I  should  find  my  mind  to  flee  from  God  as  from  the 
face  of  a  dreadful  judge  ;  yet  this  was  my  torment,  I  could  not 
escape  his  hand.  '  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  living  God.'  But  blessed  be  his  gi'ace,  that  scripture  in  these 
flying  fits  would  call  as  i*unning  after  me, — '  I  have  blotted  out,  as 
a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions,  and  as  a  cloud  thy  sins  ;  return 
unto  me,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee.'  This,  I  say,  would  come  in 
upon  my  mind  when  I  was  fleeing  from  the  face  of  God;  for  1 
did  flee  from  his  face,  that  is,  my  mind  and  spirit  fled  before  him: 
by  reason  of  his  highness  I  could  not  endure.  Then  would  that 
text  cry,  Return  unto  me;  it  would  cry  aloud,  with  a  very  great 
voice,  Return  unto  me,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee.  Indeed  this 
would  make  me  make  a  little  stop,  and,  as  it  were,  look  over  my 
shoulder  behind  me,  to  see  if  I  could  discern  that  the  God  of 
grace  did  follow  me  with  a  pardon  in  his  hand. 

"  Once  as  I  was  walking  to  and  fro  in  a  good  man's  shop,  be- 
moaning of  myself  in  my  sad  and  doleful  state,  afflicting  myself 
with  self-abhorrence  for  this  wicked  and  ungodly  thought ;  la- 
menting also  this  hard  hap  of  mine,  for  that  I  should  commit  so 
great  a  sin,  greatly  fearing  I  should  not  be  pardoned  ;  praying 
also  in  my  heart,  that  if  this  sin  of  mine  did  differ  from  that 
acrainst  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Lord  would  shew  it  me  ;  and  being 
now  ready  to  sink  with  fear,  suddenly  there  was  as  if  there  hn'i 
rushed  in  at  the  window  the  noise  of  wind  upon  me,  but  very 
pleasant,  and  as  if  I  heard  a  voice  speaking, — •  Didst  ever  refuse 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XIX 

to  be  justified  by  the  blood  of  Christ?'  And  withal  my  whole 
life  of  profession  past  was  in  a  moment  opened  to  me,  wherein 
I  was  made  to  see  that  designedly  I  had  not  ;  so  my  heart  an- 
swered groaningly,  No.  Then  fell  with  power  that  word  of  God 
upon  me,  See  that  ye  refuse  not  him  that  speaketh.  This  made  a 
strange  seizure  upon  my  spirit  :  it  brought  light  with  it,  and 
commanded  a  silence  in  my  heart  of  all  those  tumultuous  thoughts 
that  before  did  rise,  like  masterless  hell-hounds,  to  roar  and  bel* 
low,  and  make  a  hideous  noise  within  me.  It  shewed  me  also 
that  Jesus  Christ  had  yet  a  word  of  grace  and  mercy  for  me  ; 
that  he  had  not,  as  I  feared,  quite  forsaken  and  cast  off  my  soul  : 
Yea,  this  was  a  kind  of  check  for  my  proneness  to  desperation  ; 
a  kind  of  threatening  of  me  if  I  did  not,  notwithstanding  my  sins 
and  the  heinousness  of  them,  venture  my  salvation  upon  the  Son 
of  God.  But  as  to  my  determining  about  this  strange  dispensa- 
tion, what  it  was,  I  know  not.  I  have  not  yet  in  twenty  years' 
time  been  able  to  make  a  judgment  of  it.  I  thought  then  what 
here  I  should  be  loath  to  speak.  But  verily,  that  sudden  rushing 
wind  was  as  if  an  angel  had  come  upon  me  ;  but  both  it  and  the 
salvation,  I  will  leave  until  the  day  of  judgment.  Only  this  I  say, 
it  commanded  a  great  calm  in  my  soul.  It  persuaded  me  there 
might  be  hope  ;  it  shewed  me,  as  I  thought,  what  the  sin  unpar- 
donable was,  and  that  my  soul  had  yet  the  blessed  privilege  to 
flee  to  Jesus  Christ  for  mercy.  But  I  say  concerning  this  dis- 
pensation, I  know  not  what  yet  to  say  unto  it.  I  leave  it  to  be 
thought  on  by  men  of  sound  judgment.  I  lay  not  the  stress  of 
my  salvation  thereupon,  but  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  promise ; 
yet  seeing  I  am  here  unfolding  of  my  secret  things,  I  thought  it 
might  not  be  altogether  inexpedient  to  let  this  also  shew  itself, 
though  I  cannot  now  relate  the  matter  as  then  I  did  experience 
it.  This  lasted  in  the  savour  thereof  about  three  or  four  days, 
and  then  I  began  to  mistrust  and  despair  again." 

No  solid  peace  can  enter  the  soul  except  that  which  is  brought 
by  the  Comforter.  It  is  not  the  word  read  and  heard,  but  the 
word  revealed  by  the  Spirit,  which  is  saving  and  assuring. 
There  is  undoubtedly  a  divine  operation  on  the  mind  wher- 
ever any  special  impression  is  produced  by  the  truths  of  God  ; 
and  whether  that  impression  should  be  made  with  audible  and  vi- 
sible manifestations  accompanying  it— as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost— or  should  be  so  vivid  as  to  convert  a  mental  perception 
into  a  bodily  sensation,  as  we  are  disposed  to  think  was  the  case 


XX  LIFE  OF  BONY  AN. 

with  some  of  the  remarkable  sights  and  heavenly  voices  which 
good  men  have  recorded,  is  really  of  little  moment.  In  Bunyan's 
case,  so  warm  was  his  imagination,  that  every  clear  perception 
was  sure  to  be  instantaneously  sounding  in  his  ear,  or  standing 
out  a  bright  vision  before  his  admiring  eyes.  This  feature  of 
his  mental  conformation  has  been  noticed  already  ;  but  this  may 
be  the  proper  place  to  allude  to  it  again. 

After  the  short  breathing  time  we  just  noticed,  Bunyan  began 
to  sink  in  the  deep  waters  again.  It  was  in  vain  that  he  asked 
the  prayers  of  God's  people,  and  equally  in  vain  that  he  imparted 
his  grief  to  those  who  had  passed  through  the  same  conflicts  with 
the  devil.  One  "  ancient  Christian,"  to  whom  he  stated  his  fear 
that  he  had  committed  the  sin  for  which  there  is  no  forgiveness, 
thought  so  too.  "  Thus  was  I  always  sinking,  whatever  I  did 
think  or  do.  So  one  day  I  walked  to  a  neighbouring  town,  and 
sat  down  upon  a  settle  in  the  street,  and  fell  into  a  very  deep 
panic  about  the  most  fearful  state  my  sin  had  brought  me  to  ; 
and  after  long  musing,  I  lifted  up  my  head  ;  but  meth ought  I  saw 
as  if  the  sun  that  shineth  in  the  heavens  did  grudge  to  give  light ; 
and  as  if  the  very  stones  in  the  street,  and  tiles  upon  the  houses, 
did  bend  themselves  against  me  :  methought  that  they  all  com- 
bined together  to  banish  me  out  of  the  world  ;  I  was  abhorred  of 
them,  and  unfit  to  dwell  among  them,  or  be  partaker  of  their  be- 
nefits, because  I  had  sinned  against  the  Saviour.  Then  breaking 
out  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul,  I  said  to  my  soul,  with  a  grievous 
sigh, '  How  can  God  comfort  such  a  wretch  as  I  am  ?'  I  had  no 
sooner  said  it,  but  this  returned  upon  me,  as  an  echo  doth  answer 
a  voice,  '  This  sin  is  not  unto  death.'  At  which  I  was  as  if 
raised  out  of  the  grave,  and  cried  out  again, '  Lord,  how  eouldst 
thou  find  out  such  a  word  as  this  ?'  for  I  was  filled  with  admira- 
tion at  the  fitness  and  at  the  unexpectedness  of  the  sentence.  The 
fitness  of  the  word  ;  the  Tightness  of  the  timing  of  it  ;  the  power 
and  sweetness  and  light  and  glory  that  came  with  it  also,  were 
marvellous  to  me  to  find.  I  was  now  for  the  time  out  of  doubt 
as  to  that  about  which  I  was  so  much  in  doubt  before.  I  seemed 
now  to  stand  upon  the  same  ground  with  other  sinners,  and  to 
have  as  good  right  to  the  word  and  prayer  as  any  of  them.'' 

In  coming  to  this  conclusion,  he  had  made  a  great  step  in  ad- 
vance. His  misery  had  hitherto  been  occasioned  by  a  device  of 
the  devil,  which  keeps  many  anxious  souls  from  comfort  He  re- 
garded his  own  case  as  a  special  exception  to  which  a  gospel,  other- 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XXI 

wise  general,  did  not  apply  ;  but  this  snare  was  now  broken,  and, 
though  with  halting  pace,  he  was  an  the  way  to  settled  rest  and 
joy.  Frequently  he  would  feel  that  his  transgressions  had  cut 
him  off  from  Christ,  and  left  him  "  neither  foot-hold  nor  hand- 
hold among  all  the  props  and  stays  in  the  precious  word  of  life  ;" 
but  presently  he  would  find  some  gracious  assurance — he  knew 
not  how — sustaining  him.  At  one  time  he  would  appear  to  him- 
self like  a  child  fallen  into  a  mill-pond,  "  who  thought  it  could 
make  some  sliift  to  sprawl  and  scramble  in  the  water,"  yet,  as  it 
could  find  nothing  to  which  to  cling,  must  sink  at  last ;  but  by  and 
by  he  would  perceive  that  an  unseen  power  was  buoying  him  up, 
and  encouraging  him  to  cry  from  the  depths.  At  another  time  he 
would  be  so  discouraged  and  daunted,  that  he  scarcely  dared  to 
pray,  and  yet  in  a  sort  of  desperation  beginning,  he  found  it  true 
that  "  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint."  On  one  occa- 
sion, whilst  endeavouring  to  draw  near  the  throne  of  grace,  the 
tempter  suggested  "  that  neither  the  mercy  of  God,  nor  yet  the 
blood  of  Christ,  at  all  concerned  him,  nor  could  they  help  him  by 
reason  of  his  sin  ;  therefore  it  was  vain  to  pray."  Yet  he  thought 
with  himself,  "  I  will  pray."  "  But,"  said  the  tempter,  "your  sin 
is  unpardonable."  "Well,"  said  he,  "I  will  pray."  "It  is  to 
no  boot,"  said  the  adversary.  And  still  he  answered,  "  I  will 
pray."  And  so  he  began  his  prayer,  "  Lord,  Satan  tells  me  that 
neither  thy  mercy,  nor  Christ's  blood,  is  sufficient  to  save  my  soul. 
Lord,  shall  I  honour  thee  most  by  believing  thou  wilt  and  canst  ? 
or  him,  by  believing  thou  neither  wilt  nor  canst  ?  Lord,  I  would  fain 
honour  thee  by  believing  thou  canst  and  thou  wiliest."  And  whilst 
he  was  thus  speaking,"as  if  some  one  had  clapped  him  on  the  back," 
that  scripture  fastened  on  his  mind,  "  0  man  great  is  thy  faith." 

Relief  came  slowly  but  steadily,  and  was  the  more  abiding,  be- 
cause he  had  learned  by  experience  to  distrust  any  comfort  which 
did  not  come  from  the  word  of  God.  Such  passages  as  these, 
"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,"  and  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out,"  greatly  lightened  his  burden  ;  but  he 
derived  still  stronger  encouragement  from  considering  that  the 
Gospel,  with  its  benignity,  is  much  more  expressive  of  the  mind 
and  disposition  of  God  than  the  law  with  its  severity.  "  Mercy 
rejoiceth  over  judgment.  How  shall  not  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ?  For  if  the  ministration  of  condemna- 
tion be  glory,  much  more  doth  the  ministration  of  righteousness 
exceed  in  glory.     For  even  that  which  was  made  glorious,  had  no 


XXU  LIFE  OF  BUNYAN. 

glory  in  this  respect,  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth."  Or, 
as  the  same  truth  presented  itself  to  his  mind  in  an  aspect  more 
arresting  to  a  mind  like  his,  "  And  Peter  said  unto  Jesus,  Master, 
it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  ;  and  let  us  make  three  tabernacles, 
one  for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias.  For  he  wist 
not  what  to  say,  for  he  was  sore  afraid.  And  there  was  a  cloud 
overshadowed  them,  and  a  voice  came  out  of  the  cloud,  saying, 
This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  him."  "  Then  I  saw  that  Moses 
and  Elias  must  both  vanish,  and  leave  Christ  and  his  saints 
alone." 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  happy  time  when  these  doubts  and 
distractions  were  exchanged  for  songs  of  deliverance.  We  relate 
it  in  the  words  of  Bunyan's  own  narrative  : — "  One  day  as  I  was 
passing  into  the  field,  and  that  too  with  some  dashes  on  my  con- 
science, fearing  lest  yet  all  was  not  right,  suddenly  this  sentence 
fell  upon  my  soul,  '  Thy  righteousness  is  in  heaven  ;'  and  me- 
thought  withal,  I  saw  with  the  eyes  of  my  soul,  Jesus  Christ  at 
God's  right  hand  ;  there,  I  say,  was  my  righteousness  ;  so  that 
wherever  I  was,  or  whatever  I  was  doing,  God  could  not  say  of 
me, '  He  wants  my  righteousness,'  for  that  was  just  before  him. 
I  also  saw,  moreover,  that  it  was  not  my  good  frame  of  heart  that 
made  my  righteousness  better,  nor  my  bad  frame  that  made  my 
righteousness  worse  ;  for  my  righteousness  was  Jesus  Christ 
himself, '  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever.'  Now  did  my 
chains  fall  off  my  legs  indeed  ;  I  was  loosed  from  my  afflictions 
and  my  irons  ;  my  temptations  also  fled  away  ;  so  that  from  that 
time  those  dreadful  scriptures  of  God  left  off  to  trouble  me.  Now 
went  I  also  home  rejoicing  for  the  grace  and  love  of  God  ;  so 
when  I  came  home  I  looked  to  see  if  I  could  find  that  sentence, 
'  Thy  righteousness  is  in  heaven,'  but  could  not  find  such  a 
saying  ;  wherefore  my  heart  began  to  sink  again,  only  that 
was  brought  to  my  remembrance,  '  He  is  made  unto  us  of 
God,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption  ;' 
by  this  word  I  saw  the  other  sentence  time.  For,  by  this  scrip- 
ture, I  saw  that  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  as  he  is  distinct  from  us 
as  touching  his  bodily  presence,  so  he  is  our  righteousness  and 
santification  before  God.  Here,  therefore,  I  lived  for  some  time 
very  sweetly  at  peace  with  God  through  Christ.  Oh  !  me- 
thought,  Christ,  Christ  !  There  was  nothing  but  Christ  that  was 
before  my  eyes.  I  was  not  now  for  looking  upon  this  and  the 
other  benefits  of  Christ  apart,  as  of  his  blood,  burial,  or  resur- 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XXlli. 

rection,  but  considering  him  as  a  whole  Christ,  as  he  is  when  all 
these,  and  all  other  his  virtues,  relations,  offices,  and  operations 
met  together,  and  that  he  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God  in  heaven, 
"f  was  glorious  to  me  to  see  his  exaltation,  and  the  worth  and  pre- 
vaJency  of  all  his  benefits  ;  and  that  because  now  I  could  look 
from  myself  to  him,  and  would  reckon  that  all  those  graces  of 
God  that  now  were  green  on  me,  were  yet  but  like  those  cracked 
groats  and  fourpence -halfpennies  that  rich  men  carry  in  their 
purses,  when  their  gold  is  in  their  trunks  at  home:  Oh!  I  saw 
my  gold  was  in  my  trunk  at  home  !  in  Christ  my  Lord  and 
Saviour.  Now  Christ  was  all  ;  all  my  righteousness,  all  my 
sanetification,  and  all  my  redemption. 

"  Further,  the  Lord  did  also  lead  me  into  the  mystery  of  union 
with  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  I  was  joined  to  him,  that  1  was  '  flesh 
of  his  flesh,  and  bone  of  his  bone'  (Eph.  v.  30)  ;  and  now  was 
that  word  of  St  Paul  sweet  to  me.  By  this  also  was  my  faith  in  him 
as  my  righteousness  the  more  confirmed  in  me  ;  for  if  he  and  I 
were  one,  then  his  righteousness  was  mine,  his  merits  mine,  his 
victory  also  mine.  Now  could  I  see  myself  in  heaven  and  earth 
at  once  :  in  heaven  by  my  Christ,  by  my  head,  by  my  righteous- 
ness and  life  ;  though  on  earth  by  my  body  or  person.  Now  I 
saw  Christ  Jesus  was  looked  upon  of  God,  and  should  also  be 
looked  upon  by  us,  as  that  common  or  public  person,  in  whom  all 
the  whole  body  of  his  elect  are  always  to  be  considered  and  rec- 
koned ;  that  we  fulfilled  the  law  by  him,  rose  from  the  dead  by 
him,  got  the  victory  over  sin,  death,  the  devil,  and  hell  by  him  ; 
when  he  died,  we  died  ;  and  so  of  his  resurrection.  *  Thy  dead 
men  shall  live  ;  together  with  my  dead  body  shall  they  arise,' 
saith  he  :  and  again, '  After  two  days  he  will  revive  us,  and  the 
third  day  we  shall  live  in  his  sight :'  which  is  now  fulfilled  by  the 
sitting  down  of  the  Son  of  Man  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty 
in  the  heavens,  according  to  that  to  the  Ephesians, '  He  hath 
raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Ah  !  these  blessed  considerations  and 
scriptures,  with  many  others  of  like  nature,  were  in  those  days 
made  to  spangle  in  mine  eye,  so  that  I  have  cause  to  say, 
'  Praise  ye  the  Lord  God  in  his  sanctuary  ;  praise  him  in  the  fir- 
mament of  his  power  ;  praise  him  for  his  mighty  acts  :  praise 
him  according  to  his  excellent  greatness.' " 

Extricated  from  the  Slough  of  Despond,  Bunyan  went  on  his 
•vay  rejoicing  ;  and  though  sometimes  interrupted  by  disquieting 


XXIV  LIFE  OF  BUWYAH. 

thoughts  and  strong  temptations,  his  subsequent  career  was  a  path 
of  growing  comfort  and  prevailing  peace.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  he  was  admitted  a  member  of  that  Baptist  church  of  which 
Mr  Gifford  was  the  faithful  pastor,— a  rare  man,  who,  in  angry 
times,  and  in  a  small  communion,  preserved  his  catholicity.  Hold- 
ing that  "  union  with  Christ,"  and  not  agreement  concerning  any 
ordinances  or  things  external,  is  the  foundation  of  Christian  fel- 
lowship, with  his  dying  hand  he  addressed  a  letter  to  his  beloved 
people,  in  which  the  following  sentence  occurs,  the  utterance  of  a 
heart  enlarged  by  Christian  magnanimity,  and  bent  on  those  ob- 
jects which  alone  look  important  when  the  believer  is  waiting  on 
the  top  of  Pisgah: — "Concerning  separation  from  the  Church  about 
baptism,  laying  on  of  hands,  anointing  with  oil,  psalms,  or  any 
other  externals,  1  charge  every  one  of  you  respectively,  as  you 
will  give  an  account  of  it  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  will  judge 
both  quick  and  dead  at  his  coming,  that  none  of  you  be  found  guilty 
of  this  great  evil,  winch  some  have  committed,  and  that  through 
a  zeal  for  God,  yet  not  according  to  knowledge.  They  have  erred 
from  the  law  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  have  made  a  rent  in  the 
true  Church,  which  is  but  one."  If  our  Baptist  brethren  are 
justly  proud  that  the  burning  and  shining  light  of  Bunyan  was 
set  upon  their  candlestick,  they  have  equal  reason  to  boast  of  the 
torch  at  which  his  bland  and  diffussive  light  was  kindled.  John 
Bunyan  doubtless  owed  to  John  Gifford  the  peculiar  type  of  his 
Christianity,  its  comprehensiveness,  and  its  sect-forgetting  zeal 
for  the  things  of  Jesus  Christ. 

He  had  not  long  been  a  member  of  the  church  when  he  was 
called  to  exercise  its  actual  ministry.  Gifford  was  gone  to  his 
everlasting  rest  ;  and  as  a  substitute  for  his  labours,  it  was  put 
upon  a  few  of  the  brethren  to  speak  the  word  of  exhortation  to 
the  rest.  Of  these  Bunyan  was  one.  At  first  he  did  not  venture 
farther  than  to  address  his  friends  in  their  more  private  meetings, 
or  to  follow  up,  with  a  brief  application,  the  sermons  delivered  by 
others  in  their  village-preaching.  But  these  exercises  having 
afforded  the  utmost  satisfaction  to  his  judicious  though  warm- 
hearted hearers,  he  was  urged  forward  to  more  public  services. 
These  he  was  too  humble  to  covet,  and  too  earnest  to  refuse- 
Though  his  education  was  suffici  litly  rude,  God  had  given  him 
from  the  first  a  strong  athletic  mind  and  a  glowing  heart, — that 
downright  logic  and  teeming  fancy,  whose  bold  strokes  and  burn- 
ing images  heat  the  Saxon  temper  to  the  welding  point,  and  make 


LIFE  OP  BUNYAN.  XXV 

the  popular  orator  of  our  English  multitude.  Then  his  low  ori- 
ginal ami  rough  wild  history,  however  much  they  might  have 
subjected  him  to  scorn  had  he  exchanged  the  leathern  apron  for 
a  silken  one,  or  scrambled  from  the  hedge-side  into  the  high 
places  of  the  church,  entailed  no  suspicion,  and  awakened  much 
surprise,  when  the  Bedford  townsmen  saw  their  blaspheming 
neighbour  a  new  man,  and  in  a  way  so  disinterested  preaching 
the  faith  which  he  once  destroyed.  The  town  turned  out  to  hear, 
and  though  there  was  some  mockery,  many  were  deeply  moved. 
His  own  account  of  it  is  : — "  At  first  I  could  not  believe  that 
God  should  speak  by  me  to  the  heart  of  any  man,  still  counting 
myself  unworthy  ;  yet  those  who  were  thus  touched,  would  love 
me,  and  have  a  particular  respect  for  me  ;  and  though  I  did  put 
it  from  me,  that  they  should  be  awakened  by  me,  still  they  would 
confess  it  and  affirm  it  before  the  saints  of  God.  .  .  .  Wherefore, 
seeing  them  in  both  their  words  and  deeds  to  be  so  constant,  and 
also  in  their  hearts  so  earnestly  pressing  after  the  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ,  rejoicing  that  ever  God  did  send  me  where  they 
were,  then  1  began  to  conclude  it  might  be  so,  that  God  had 
owned  in  his  work  such  a  foolish  one  as  I  ;  and  then  came  that 
word  of  God  to  my  heart  with  such  sweet  refreshment  :  f  The 
blessing  of  them  that  were  ready  to  perish  is  come  upon  me  ; 
yea,  1  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy.'  At  this,  there- 
fore, 1  rejoiced  ;  yea,  the  tears  of  those  whom  God  had  awakened 
by  my  preaching  would  be  both  solace  and  encouragement  to  me. 
1  thought  on  those  sayings,  *  Who  is  he  that  maketh  me  glad, 
but  the  same  that  is  made  sorry  by  me  V  And  again, '  Though  I 
be  not  an  apostle  to  others,  yet  doubtless  I  am  unto  you  :  for  the 
seal  of  my  apostleship  are  ye  in  the  Lord.'  " 

There  was  a  solemnizing  and  subdting  power  in  Buuyan's 
ministry,  because  it  was  heart-felt.  So  far  as  the  truths  he  ut- 
tered were  capable  of  becoming  subjects  of  personal  conscious- 
ness, he  had  experienced  them  ;  and  so  far  as  they  were  subjects 
of  intellectual  conviction,  he  was  not  only  fully  persuaded  of 
them,  but  saw  them  so  clear  and  evident,  that  his  realizations 
were  continually  quickening  into  sensations.  He  thus  begau  with 
a  John- Baptist  ministry,  to  which  succeeded  a  Pentecostal  evan- 
gel ;  and  at  last  it  grew  into  the  Pauline  amplitude  and  complete- 
ness, "  the  whole  counsel  of  God."  u  In  my  preaching  of  the 
word,  I  took  special  notice  of  this  one  thing,  namely,  that  the 
Lord  did  lead  me  to  begin  where  the  word  begins  with  sinners  ; 

c 


XXVI  LIFE  OF  BUNYAN. 

that  is,  to  condemn  all  flesh,  and  to  open  and  allege  that  the 
cnrse  of  God  by  the  law  doth  belong  to  and  lay  hold  on  all  men 
as  they  come  into  the  world,  because  of  sin.  Now  this  part  of 
my  work  I  fulfilled  with  great  sense;  for  the  terrors  of  the  law,  and 
guilt  for  my  transgressions,  lay  heavy  on  my  conscience.  I 
preached  what  I  felt,  what  1  smartingly  did  feel  ;  even  that  under 
which  my  poor  soul  did  groan  and  tremble  to  astonishment.  In- 
deed I  have  been  as  one  sent  to  them  from  the  dead  ;  I  went  my- 
self hi  chains  to  preach  to  them  in  chains  ;  and  earned  that  fire  in 

my  own  conscience  that  I  persuaded  them  to  be  aware  of 

Thus  I  went  on  for  the  space  of  two  years,  crying  out  against  men's 
sins,  and  their  fearful  state  because  of  them.  After  which  the  Lord 
came  in  upon  my  own  soul  with  some  sure  peace  and  comfort 
through  Christ  ;  for  he  did  give  me  many  sweet  discoveries  of 
his  blessed  grace  through  him.  Wherefore  now  I  altered  in  my 
preaching  (for  still  I  preached  what  I  saw  and  felt).  Now,  there- 
fore, I  did  much  labour  to  hold  forth  Jesus  Christ  in  all  his  offices, 
relations,  and  benefits,  unto  the  world,  and  did  strive  also  to  dis- 
cover, to  condemn,  and  remove  those  false  supports  and  props 
on  which  the  world  doth  both  lean,  and  by  them  fall  and  perish. 
On  these  things  also  1  staid  as  long  as  on  the  other.  After  this, 
God  led  me  into  something  of  the  mystery  of  union  with  Christ  ; 
wherefore,  that  I  discovered  and  shewed  to  them  also.  And  when 
I  had  travelled  through  these  three  chief  points  of  the  word  of 
God,  I  was  caught  in  my  present  pr-actice,  and  cast  into  prison, 
where  I  have  lain  alone  as  long  again  to  confirm  the  truth  by 
way  of  suffering,  as  I  was  before  in  testifying  of  it,  according  to 
the  scriptures,  in  a  way  of  preaching." 

Banyan's  preaching  was  no  incoherent  rant.  Words  of  truth 
and  soberness  formed  the  staple  of  each  sermon;  and  his  burning 
words  and  startling  images  were  only  the  electric  scintillations 
along  the  chain  of  his  scriptural  eloquence.  Though  the  com- 
mon people  heard  him  most  gladly,  he  had  occasional  hearers 
of  a  higher  class.  Once  on  a  week-day  he  was  expected  to 
preach  in  a  parish  church  near  Cambridge,  and  a  concourse  of 
people  had  already  collected  in  the  churchyard.  A  gay  student  was 
riding  past,  when  he  noticed  the  crowd,  and  asked  what  had  brought 
them  together.  He  was  told  that  the  people  had  come  out  to  hear 
one  Bunyan,  a  tinker,  preach.  lie  instantly  dismounted,  and  gave 
a  boy  twopence  to  hold  his  horse,  for  he  declared  he  was  de- 
termined to  hear  the  tinker  prate.     So  he  went  into  the  church, 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XXVll 

ami  beai'd  the  tinker ;  but  so  deep  was  the  impression  which  that 
sermon  made  on  the  scholar,  that  he  took  every  subsecment  op- 
portunity to  attend  Bunyan's  ministry,  and  himself  became  a  re- 
nowned preacher  of  the  gospel  in  Cambridgeshire.  Still  he  felt 
that  his  errand  was  to  the  multitude,  and  liis  great  anxiety  was  to 
penetrate  the  darkest  places  of  the  land,  and  preach  to  the  most 
abandoned  people.  In  these  labours  of  unostentatious  heroism,  he 
sometimes  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  regular  parish  ministers, 
and  even  under  the  tolerant  rule  of  the  Pi'otector,  was  in  some 
danger  of  imprisonment.  However,  it  was  not  till  the  Restoration 
that  he  was  in  serious  jeopardy  ;  but  thereafter  he  was  among  the 
first  victims  of  the  grand  combination  betwixt  priests  and  rulers 
to  exterminate  the  gospel  in  England. 

On  the  12th  of  November  1660,  he  had  promised  to  meet  a 
little  congregation  in  a  private  house  at  Samsell  in  Bedfordshire. 
Before  the  hour  of  meeting  he  was  apprised  that  a  warrant  was 
out  to  seize  him  ;  but  he  felt  that  he  owed  it  to  the  gospel  not  to 
run  away  at  such  a  time.  Accordingly  when  the  people  were 
assembled  with  no  weapons  but  their  Bibles,  the  constable  en- 
tered and  arrested  the  preacher.  He  had  only  time  to  speak  a 
few  words  of  counsel  and  encouragement  to  his  hearers,  "  You 
see  we  are  prevented  of  our  opportunity  to  speak  and  hear  the 
word  of  God,  and  are  likely  to  suffer  for  the  same.  But  be  not 
discouraged.  It  is  a  mercy  to  suffer  for  so  good  a  cause.  We 
might  have  been  apprehended  as  thieves  or  murderers,  or  for 
other  wickedness  ;  but  blessed  be  God,  it  is  not  so.  We  suffer 
as  Christians  for  well  doing  ;  and  better  be  the  persecuted  than  the 
persecutors."  After  being  taken  before  a  justice,  he  was  com- 
mitted to  gaol  till  the  ensuing  sessions  should  be  held  at  Bed- 
ford. There  an  indictment  was  preferred — "  That  John  Bunyan, 
of  the  town  of  Bedford,  labourer,  being  a  person  of  such  and  such 
conditions,  he  hath  since  such  a  time  devilishly  and  perniciously 
abstained  from  coming  to  church  to  hear  divine  service  ;  and 
is  a  common  upholder  of  several  unlawful  meetings  and  conven- 
ticles, to  the  great  disturbance  and  distraction  of  the  good  sub- 
jects of  this  kingdom,  contrary  to  the  laws  of  our  sovereign  lord 
the  King,"  &c  Of  course  he  was  convicted,  and  sentenced  to 
imprisonment,  with  certification,  that  if  he  did  not  conform  within 
a  given  period,  he  would  be  banished  out  of  the  kingdom. 

After  Bunyan  ceases  to  be  his  own  biographer,  our  materials 
become  exceeding  scanty.     This  is  the  less  to  be  lamented  when 


XXV111  LIFE  OF  BUXYAS. 

we  reflect  that  the  history  of  his  "  hidden  life''  is  already  told. 
The  processes  have  now  been  related  which  formed  and  developed 
the  inner  man  ;  and  the  few  external  events  that  befel  him,  and 
the  few  important  tilings  that  he  did,  during  the  remaining  eight- 
and-twenty  years  of  his  mortal  pilgrimage,  may  be  recorded  in  a 
single  page. 

His  imprisonment  was  protracted  from  sessions  to  sessions,  till 
he  had  measured  out  twelve  weary  years  in  Bedford  gaol.  Per- 
haps we  should  not  call  them  weary.  They  had  then*  alleviations. 
His  wife  and  children  were  allowed  to  visit  him.  His  blind  and 
most  beloved  daughter  was  permitted  to  cheer  his  solitude  and 
her  own.  He  had  his  Bible,  and  his  "  Book  of  Martyrs."  He 
had  his  imagination,  and  his  pen.  Above  all,  he  had  a  good  con- 
science. He  felt  it  a  blessed  exchange  to  quit  the  "  iron  cage" 
of  despair  for  a  "  den"  oft  visited  by  a  celestial  comforter  ;  and 
which,  however  cheerless,  did  not  lack  a  door  to  heaven. 

Whether  it  was  the  man's  own  humanity,  or  whether  it  was 
that  God  who  assuaged  Joseph's  captivity,  gave  Bunyan  special 
favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  keeper  of  his  prison,  the  fact  is  certain, 
that  he  met  with  singular  indulgence  at  the  least  likely  hands. 
Not  only  was  he  allowed  many  a  little  indulgence  in  his  cell,  but 
he  was  suffered  to  go  and  come  with  a  freedom  which  could  hardly 
have  been  exceeded  had  the  county  gaol  been  his  own  hired 
house.  For  months  together  he  was  a  constant  attender  of 
the  church-meetings  of  his  brethren  in  Bedford,  and  was 
actually  chosen  pastor  during  the  period  of  his  incarceration. 
On  one  occasion  some  of  the  bishops  who  had  heard  a  rumour 
of  the  unusual  liberty  conceded  to  him,  sent  a  messenger  from 
London  to  Bedford  to  ascertain  the  truth.  The  officer  was  in- 
structed to  call  at  the  prison  during  the  night.  It  was  a  night 
when  Bunyan  had  received  permission  to  stay  at  home  with 
his  family  ;  but  so  uneasy  did  he  feel,  that  he  told  his  wife 
he  must  go  back  to  his  old  quarters.  So  late  was  it  that  the 
gaoler  blamed  him  for  coming  at  such  an  untimely  hour  ;  but  a 
little  afterwards  the  messenger  arrived.  "  Are  all  the  prisoners 
safe?"  "Yes."  "  Is  John  Bunyan  safe  ?"  "Yes."  "Let  me  see  him." 
Bunyan  was  called,  and  the  messenger  went  his  way  ;  and  when 
he  was  gone  the  gaoler  told  him,  "  Well,  you  may  go  out  again 
just  when  you  think  proper  ;  for  you  know  when  to  return  better 
than  I  can  tell  you.'' 

But  the  best  alleviations  of  his  captivity  were  those  wonderful 


LIFE  OP  BUNTAN.  XX 'X 

works  which  he  there  projected  or  composed.  Some  of  these 
were  controversial  ;  but  one  of  them  was  his  own  life,  under  the 
title,  "  Grace  abounding  to  the  Chief  of  Sinners,"  and  another 
was  the  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 

In  1672  he  obtained  his  liberty, and  his  friends  immediately  built 
for  him  a  large  meeting-house,  where  he  continued  to  preach  with 
little  interruption  till  his  death.  Once  a  year  he  visited  London, 
and  was  there  so  popular,  that  twelve  hundred  people  would  gather 
together  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  a  winter's  working-day  to  hear 
him.  Amongst  the  admiring  listeners,  Dr  Owen  was  frequently 
found  ;  and  once  when  Charles  the  Second  asked  how  a  learned 
man  like  him  could  sit  down  to  hear  a  tinker  prate,  the  great 
theologian  is  said  to  have  answered,  "  May  it  please  your  Majesty, 
could  I  possess  the  tinker's  abilities  for  preaching,  I  would  most 
gladly  relinquish  all  my  learning."  But  popular  as  he  was,  he 
was  not  fond  of  praise.  One  day  after  he  had  concluded  an  im- 
pressive discourse,  his  friends  pressed  round  to  thank  him  for  his 
"  sweet  sermon."  "  Aye,"  he  bluntly  answered,  "  you  need  not 
remind  me  of  that  ;  for  the  devil  told  me  as  much  before  I  left 
the  pulpit." 

He  had  numbered  sixty  years,  and  written  as  many  books, 
when  he  was  released  from  his  abundant  labours.  A  young 
gentleman,  his  neighbour,  had  fallen  under  his  father's  displea- 
sure, and  was  much  concerned  at  his  father's  estrangement  as 
well  as  at  the  prospect  of  being  disinherited.  He  begged  Mr 
Bunyan's  friendly  interposition  to  propitiate  his  father,  and  pre- 
pare the  way  for  his  return  to  parental  favour  and  affection. 
The  kind-hearted  man  undertook  the  task,  and  having  success- 
fully achieved  it,  was  returning  from  Reading  to  London  on 
horseback,  when  he  was  thoroughly  drenched  with  excessive 
rains.  He  arrived  cold  and  wet  at  the  house  of  Mr  Strudwick, 
a  grocer  on  Snow  Hill.  Here  he  was  seized  with  fits  of  shivering, 
which  passed  off  in  violent  fever,  and  after  ten  days'  sickness,  on 
the  31st  of  August  1688,  his  pilgrimage  ended,  and  he  went  in  by 
the  gate  into  the  city. 


XXX  LIFE  OF  BUNTAN. 

As  the  most  appropriate  introduction  to  the  following  selec- 
tions from  the  practical  writings  of  Bunyan,  we  would  close  this 
rapid  history  of  the  Man,  with  a  few  remarks  on  the  Theolo- 
gian and  the  Author. 

I.  Bunyan's  theological  merits  we  rank  very  high.  No  one 
can  turn  over  his  pages  without  noticing  the  abundance  of  his 
Scriptural  quotations  ;  and  these  quotations  no  one  can  examine 
without  perceiving  how  minutely  he  had  studied,  and  how  deeply 
he  had  pondered,  the  word  of  God.  But  it  is  possible  to  be  very 
textual,  and  yet  by  no  means  very  scriptural.  A  man  may  have 
an  exact  acquaintance  with  the  literal  Bible,  and  yet  entirely 
miss  the  great  Bible  message.  He  may  possess  a  dexterous  com- 
mand of  detached  passages  and  insulated  sentences,  and  yet  be 
entirely  ignorant  of  that  peculiar  scheme  which  forms  the  great 
gospel  revelation.  But  this  was  Bunyan's  peculiar  excellence. 
He  was  even  better  acquainted  with  the  Gospel  as  the  scheme  of 
God,  than  he  was  familiar  with  the  Bible-text ;  and  the  conse- 
quence is,  that  though  he  is  sometimes  irrelevant  in  his  refer- 
ences, and  fanciful  in  interpreting  particular  passages,  his  doc- 
trine is  almost  always  according  to  the  analogy  of  faith.  The 
doctrine  of  a  free  and  instant  justification  by  the  imputed  right- 
eousness of  Christ,  none  even  of  the  Puritans  could  state  with 
more  Luther-like  boldness,  nor  defend  with  an  affection  more 
worthy  of  Paul.  In  his  last  and  best  days,  Coleridge  wrote,  "  I 
know  of  no  book,  the  Bible  excepted,  as  above  all  comparison, 
which  I,  according  to  my  judgment  and  experience,  could  so 
safely  recommend  as  teaching  and  enforcing  the  whole  saving 
truth,  according  to  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  as  the 
Pilgrim's  Progress.  It  is  in  my  conviction  the  best  Summa 
Theologies  Erangelicce  ever  produced  by  a  writer  not  miracu- 
lously inspired."*  Without  questioning  this  verdict,  we  woidd 
include  in  the  encomium  some  of  his  other  writings,  which  pos- 
sibly Coleridge  never  saw.  Such  as  the  Tracts  contained  in  this 
volume.  They  exhibit  Gospel-truths  in  so  clear  a  light,  and 
state  them  in  such  a  frank  and  happy  tone,  that  he  who  runs  may- 
read,  and  he  who  reads  in  earnest  will  rejoice.  The  Pilgrim  is 
a  peerless  guide  to  those  who  have  already  passed  in  at  the 
wicket-gate  ;  but  those  who  are  still  seeking  peace  to  their  ti'ou- 

*   Remains,  vol.  iii.  p.  391. 


LIFE  OP  BTJNYAN.  XXXI 

bled  souls,  will  find  the  best  directory  in  "  The  Jerusalem  Sinner 
Saved." 

'  II.  Invaluable  as  a  theologian,  Bunyan  stands  alone  as  a  con- 
tributor to  theological  literature.  In  recent  times  no  man  has 
done  so  much  to  draw  the  world's  delighted  attention  to  the  sub- 
jects of  supreme  solicitude.  No  production  of  a  mortal  pen  has 
found  so  many  readers  as  one  work  of  his  ;  and  none  has 
awakened  so  frequently  the  sighing  behest,  "  Let  me  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous." 

None  has  painted  the  beauty  of  holiness  in  taints  more  lovely, 
nor  spoken  in  tones  more  thrilling  to  the  heart  of  universal  hu- 
manity. At  first  the  favourite  of  the  vulgar,  he  is  now  the  won- 
der of  the  learned  ;  and  from  the  obscurity,  not  inglorious,  of 
smoky  cupboards  and  cottage  chimneys,  he  has  been  escorted 
up  to  the  highest  places  of  classical  renown,  and  duly  canonized 
by  the  pontiffs  of  taste  and  literature.  The  man,  whom  Cowper 
praised  anonymously, 

"  Lest  so  despised  a  name  should  move  a  sneer,* 
has  at  last  extorted  emulous  plaudits  from  a  larger  host  of  writers 
than  ever  conspired  to  praise  a  man  of  genius,  who  was  also  a 
man  of  God.  Johnson  and  Franklin,  Scott,  Coleridge,  and  Southey, 
Byron  and  Montgomery,  Macintosh  and  Macaulay,  have  exerted 
their  philosophical  acumen  and  poetic  feeling  to  analyze  his  va- 
rious spell,  and  account  for  his  unequalled  fame  ;  and  though  the 
round-coraered  copies,  with  their  diverting  woodcuts,  have  not 
disappeared  from  the  poor  man's  ingle,  illustrated  editions  blaze 
from  the  shelves  of  every  sumptuous  library,  new  pictures,  from 
its  exhaustless  themes,  light  up  the  walls  of  each  annual  exhibi- 
tion ;  and  amidst  the  graceful  litter  of  the  drawing-room  table, 
you  are  sure  to  take  up  designs  from  the  Pilgrim's  Progress.  So 
universal  is  the  ascendancy  of  the  tinker-teacher,  so  world-wide 
the  diocese  of  him  whom  Whitefield  created  Bishop  Bunyan,  that 
probably  half  the  ideas  which  the  outside-world  entertains  re- 
garding experimental  piety,  they  have,  in  some  form  or  other, 
derived  from  him.  One  of  the  most  popular  preachers  in  his  day, 
in  his  little  treatises,  as  well  as  in  his  longer  allegories,  he  preaches 
to  countless  thousands  still.  The  cause  of  this  unexampled  popu- 
larity is  a  question  of  great  practical  moment. 

And,  first  of  all,  Bunyan  speaks  to  the  whole  of  man,— to  his 


XXX11  LIFE  OP  BUXYAN. 

imagination,  his  intellect,  his  heart.  He  had  in  himself  all  these 
ingredients  of  full-formed  humanity,  and  in  his  hooks  he  lets  all 
of  them  out.  French  writers  and  preachers  are  apt  to  deal  too  exclu- 
sively in  the  one  article — fancy  ;  and  though  you  are  amused  for 
the  moment  with  the  rocket-shower  of  brilliant  and  many-tinted 
ideas  which  fall  sparkling  around  you,  when  the  exhibition  is 
ended,  you  are  disappointed  to  find  that  the  whole  was  momen- 
tary,  and  that  from  all  the  ruby  and  emerald  rain  scarcely  one  gem 
of  solid  thought  remains.*  Scottish  writers  and  pi*eachers  are  apt 
to  indulge  the  argumentative  cacoethes  of  their  country,  and 
cramming  into  a  tract  or  sermon  as  much  hard-thinking  as  the 
Bramah -pressure  of  hydrostatic  intellects  can  condense  into  the 
iron  paragraphs,  they  leave  no  room  for  such  delicate  materials 
as  fancy  or  feeling,  illustration,  imagery,  or  affectionate  appeal  ;f 
whilst  Irish  authors  and  pulpit-orators  are  so  surcharged  with 
their  own  exuberant  enthusiasm,  that  their  main  hope  of  making 
you  think  as  they  think,  is  to  make  you  feel  as  they  feel.  The 
heart  is  their  Aristotle  ;  and  if  they  cannot  win  you  by  a  smile  or 
melt  you  by  a  tear,  they  would  think  it  labour  lost  to  try  a  syllo- 
gism. Bunyan  was  neither  French,  nor  Scotch,  nor  Irish.  He 
embodied  in  his  person,  though  greatly  magnified,  the  average 
mind  of  England — playful,  affectionate,  downright.  His  intellec- 
tual power  comes  chiefly  out  in  that  homely  self-commending 
sense — the  brief  b  isiness-like  reasoning,  which  might  be  termed 
Saxon  logic,  and  of  which  Swift  in  one  century,  and  Cobbett  in 
another,  are  obvious  instances.  His  premises  are  not  always 
true,  nor  his  inferences  always  legitimate ;  but  there  is  such  evi- 
dent absence  of  sophistry,  and  even  of  that  refining  and  hair-split- 
ting which  usually  beget  the  suspicion  of  sophistry — his  statements 
are  so  sincere,  and  his  conclusions  so  direct,  the  language  is  so 
perspicuous,  and  the  appeal  is  made  so  honestly  to  each  reader's 
understanding,  that  his  popularity  as  a  reasoner  is  inevitable.  We 
need  not  say  that  the  author  of  the  Filgrim  possessed  imagina- 
tion ;  but  it  is  important  to  note  the  service  it  rendered  to  his 
preaching, and  the  charm  which  it  still  imparts  to  his  miscellaneous 

*  Pascal  was  an  exception.  D'Aubigne,  so  far  as  writing  in  French  makes 
a  Frenchman,  is  another.  Their  works  are  full  of  fancy,  but  it  is  the  fancy 
which  gives  to  truth  its  wings.  The  rocket  is  charged,  not  with  coloured 
spark*,  but  burning  jewels. 

t  Here,  again,  exceptions  occur,  and  the  greatest  of  our  Scottish  preach- 
ers is  a  contradiction  to  the  characteristic  6tyle  of  his  country. 


LIFE  OF  BUNYAN.  XXX111 

works.  The  pictorial  power  he  possessed  in  a  rare  degree.  His 
mental  eye  perceived  the  truth  most  vividly.  Some  minds  arc  mov- 
ing in  a  constant  mystery.  They  see  men  like  trees  walking. 
The  different  doctrines  of  the  Bible  all  wear  dim  outlines  to  them, 
jostling  and  jumbling  ;  and  after  a  perplexing  morrice  of  bewil- 
dering hints  and  half  discoveries,  they  vanish  into  the  misty 
back-ground  of  nonentity.  To  Bunyan's  bright  and  broad- 
waking  eye  all  things  were  clear.  The  men  w  Iked  and  the  trees 
stood  still.  Everything  was  seen  in  sharp  relief  and  definite  out- 
line— a  reality.  And  besides  the  pictorial,  he  possessed  in  highest 
perfection  the  illustrative  faculty.  Not  only  did  his  own  mind 
perceive  the  truth  most  vividly,  but  he  saw  the  very  way  to  give 
others  a  clear  perception  of  it  also.  This  is  the  great  secret  of 
successful  teaching.  Like  a  man  who  has  clambered  his  diffi- 
cult way  to  the  top  of  a  rocky  eminence,  but  who,  once  he  has 
reached  the  summit,  perceives  an  easier  path,  and  directs  his 
companions  along  its  gentler  slopes,  and  gives  them  a  helping-hand 
to  lift  them  over  the  final  obstacles ;  it  was  by  giant  struggles 
over  the  debris  of  crumbling  hopes,  and  through  jungles  of  de- 
spair, and  up  the  cliffs  of  apparent  impossibility,  that  Bunyan 
forced  his  way  to  the  pinnacle  of  his  eventual  joy  ;  but  no  sooner 
was  he  standing  there,  than  his  eagle-eye  detected  the  easier 
path,  and  he  made  it  the  business  of  his  benevolent  ministry  to 
guide  others  into  it.  Though  not  the  truth,  an  illustration  is  a 
stepping-stone  towards  it ;  an  indentation  in  the  rock  which 
makes  it  easier  to  climb.  No  man  had  a  happier  knack  in 
hewing  out  these  notches  in  the  cliff,  and  no  one  knew  better 
where  to  place  them,  than  this  pilgrim's  pioneer.  Besides,  he 
rightly  judged  that  the  value  of  these  suggestive  similes — these 
illustrative  stepping-stones — depends  very  much  on  their  breadth 
and  frequency.  But  Bunyan  appeals  not  only  to  the  intellect  and 
imagination,  but  to  the  hearts  of  men.  There  was  no  bitterness 
in  Bunyan  He  was  a  man  of  kindness  and  compassion.  How 
sorry  he  is  for  Mr  Badman  !  and  how  he  makes  you  sympathize 
with  Christian  and  Mr  Ready-to-halt  and  Mr  Feeble-mind  and 
all  the  other  interesting  companions  of  that  eventful  journey  !  And 
in  his  sermons  how  piteously  he  pleads  with  sinners  for  their  own 
souls  !  and  how  impressive  is  the  undisguised  vehemencyof  his 
yearning  affections  !  In  the  same  sentence  Bunyan  has  a  word 
for  the  man  of  sense,  and  another  for  the  man  of  fancy,  and  a 
third  for  the  man  of  feeling  ;  and  by  thus  blending  the  intellec- 


XXXIV  LIFE  OF  BUNTAN. 

tual,  the  imaginative,  and  the  affectionate,  he  speaks  home  to  the 
whole  of  man,  and  has  made  his  works  a  lesson-book  for  all  man- 
kind. 

Another  secret  of  Bun  van's  popularity  is  the  felicity  of  his 
style.  His  English  is  vernacular,  idiomatic,  universal  ;  varying 
with  the  subject  ;  homely  in  the  continuous  narrative  ;  racy  and 
pungent  in  his  lively  and  often  rapid  discourse  ;  and.  when  oc- 
casion requires,  "  a  model  of  unaffected  dignity  and  rhythmical 
flow  ;"  but  always  plain,  strong,  and  natural.  However,  in 
speaking  of  his  style,  we  do  not  so  much  intend  his  words  as  his 
entire  mode  of  expression.  A  thought  is  like  a  gem  ;  but  like  a 
gem  it  may  be  spoiled  in  the  setting.  A  careless  artist  may  chip 
it  and  grievously  curtail  its  dimensions  ;  a  clumsy  craftsman,  in 
his  fear  of  destroying  it,  may  not  sufficiently  polish  it  ;  or  in  his 
solicitude  to  shew  off  its  beauty,  may  overdo  the  accompanying 
ornaments.  Bunyan  was  too  skilful  a  workman  so  to  mismanage 
the  matter.  His  expression  neither  curtails  nor  encumbers  the 
thought,  but  makes  the  most  of  it  ;  that  is,  presents  it  to  the 
reader  as  it  is  seen  by  the  writer.  Though  there  is  a  great  ap- 
pearance of  amplitude  about  his  compositions,  fe%v  of  his  words 
could  be  wanted.  Some  styles  are  an  ill-spun  thread,  full  of 
inequalities,  and  shaggy  from  beginning  to  end  with  projecting 
fibres  which  spoil  its  beauty,  and  add  nothing  to  its  strength  ;  but 
in  its  easy  continuousness  and  trim  compactness,  the  thread  of 
Bunyan's  discourse  flows  firm  and  smooth  from  first  to  last. 
Its  fulness  regales  the  ear,  and  its  felicity  aids  the  understanding. 


THE 

JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED; 

OR, 

GOOD  NEWS  FOR  THE  VILEST  OF  MEN. 


BEGINNING  AT  JERUSALEM. Luke  XXiV.  47. 

The  whole  verse  runs  thus  :  "  And  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among 
all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

The  words  were  spoken  by  Christ,  after  he  rose  from  the 
dead,  and  they  are  here  rehearsed  after  an  historical  man- 
ner, but  do  contain  in  them  a  formal  commission,  with  a 
special  clause  therein.  The  commission  is,  as  you  see,  for 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  is  very  distinctly  inserted 
in  the  holy  record  by  Matthew  and  Mark.  "  Go  teach  all 
nations,"  &c.  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  unto  every  creature."  Matt,  xxviii.  19  ;  Mark 
xvi.  15.  Only  this  clause  is  in  special  mentioned  by  Luke, 
who  saith,  That  as  Christ  would  have  the  doctrine  of  re- 
pentance and  remission  of  sins  preached  in  his  name  among 
all  nations,  so  he  would  have  the  people  of  Jerusalem  to  have 
the  first  proffer  thereof.  Preach  it,  saith  Christ,  in  all 
nations,  but  begin  at  Jerusalem. 

The  apostles  then,  though  they  had  a  commission  so 
large  as  to  give  them  wan-ant  to  go  and  preach  the  gospel 
in  all  the  world,  yet  by  this  clause  they  were  limited  as  to 
the  beginning  of  their  ministry  :  they  were  to  begin  this 
work  at  Jerusalem.     "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

Before  I  proceed  to  an  observation  upon  the  words,  I 
must  (but  briefly)  touch  upon  two  things  :  namely, 


9  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

I.  Show  you  what  Jerusalem  now  was. 

II.  Show  you  what  it  was  to  prelfch  the  gospel  to  them. 
I.  For  the  first,  Jerusalem  is  to  be  considered,  either, 

1.  With  respect  to  the  descent  of  her  people  :  or, 

2.  With  respect  to  her  preference  and  exaltation  :  or, 

3.  With  respect  to  her  present  state,  as  to  her  decays. 
First,  As  to  her  descent :  she  was  from  Abraham,  the  sons 

of  Jacob,  a  people  that  God  singled  out  from  the  rest  of  the 
nations  to  set  his  love  upon  them. 

Secondly,  As  to  her  preference  or  exaltation,  she  was  the 
place  of  God's  worship,  and  that  which  had  in  and  with  her 
the  special  tokens  and  signs  of  God's  favour  and  presence, 
above  any  other  people  in  the  world.  Hence  the  tribes  went 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship  ;  there  was  God's  house,  God's 
high-priest,  God's  sacrifices  accepted,  and  God's  eye,  and 
God's  heart  perpetually ;  Psalm  lxxvi.  1,  2  ;  Psalm  cxxii. ; 
1  Kings  ix.  3.     But, 

Thirdly,  We  are  to  consider  Jerusalem  also  in  her  decays ; 
for  as  she  is  so  considered,  she  is  the  proper  object  of  our 
text,  as  will  be  further  showed  by  and  by. 

Jerusalem,  as  I  told  you,  was  the  place  and  seat  of  God's 
worship,  but  now  decayed,  degenerated,  and  apostatized. 
The  word,  the  rule  of  worship,  was  rejected  of  them,  and 
in  its  place  they  had  put  and  set  up  their  own  traditions  ; 
they  had  rejected  also  the  most  weighty  ordinances,  and 
put  in  the  room  thereof  their  own  little  things,  Matt.  xv.  ; 
Mark  vii.  Jerusalem  was  therefore  now  greatly  backslid- 
ing, and  become  the  place  where  truth  and  true  religion 
were  much  defaced. 

It  was  also  now  become  the  very  sink  of  sin  and  seat  of 
hypocrisy,  and  gulf  where  true  religion  was  drowned.  Here 
also  now  reigned  presumption,  and  groundless  confidence 
in  God,  which  is  the  bane  of  souls.  Amongst  its  rulers, 
doctors,  and  leaders,  envy,  malice,  and  blasphemy  vented 
itself  aguinst  the  power  of  godliness,  in  all  places  where  it 
was  espied  ;  as  also  against  the  promoters  of  it ;  yea,  their 
Lord  and  Maker  could  not  escape  them. 

In  a  word,  Jerusalem  was  now  become  the  shambles, 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  3 

the  very  slaughter-shop  for  saints.  This  was  the  place  where- 
in the  prophets,  Christ,  and  his  people,  were  most  horribly 
persecuted  and  murdered.  Yea,  so  hardened  at  this  time  was 
this  Jerusalem  in  her  sins,  that  she  feared  not  to  commit 
the  biggest,  and  to  hind  herself  by  wish  under  the  guilt 
and  damning  evil  of  it ;  saying,  when  she  had  murdered  the 
Son  of  God,  "  His  blood  be  upon  us  and  our  children." 

And  though  Jesus  Christ  did,  both  by  doctrine,  miracles, 
and  holiness  of  life,  seek  to  put  a  stop  to  their  villanies, 
yet  they  shut  their  eyes,  stopped  their  ears,  and  rested  not, 
till,  as  was  hinted  before,  they  had  driven  him  out  of  the 
world.  Yea,  that  they  might,  if  possible,  have  extinguished 
his  name,  and  exploded  his  doctrine  out  of  the  world,  they, 
against  all  argument,  and  in  despite  of  Heaven,  its  mighty 
hand,  and  undeniable  proof  of  his  resurrection,  did  hire 
soldiers  to  invent  a  lie,  saying,  his  disciples  stole  him  away 
from  the  grave  ;  on  purpose  that  men  might  not-  count  him 
the  Saviour  of  the  world,  nor  trust  in  him  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins. 

They  were,  saith  Paul,  contrary  to  all  men  :  for  they  did 
not  only  shut  up  the  door  of  life  against  themselves,  but 
forbade  that  it  should  be  opened  to  any  else.  "  Forbidding 
us,"  saith  he,  "  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  might 
be  saved,  to  fill  up  their  sins  alway ;"  Matt,  xxiii.  35 ; 
chap.  xv.  7-9 ;  Mark  vii.  6-8 ;  Matt.  iii.  7-9 ;  John  viii.  33, 
41 ;  Matt,  xxvii.  18;  Mark  iii.  30;  Matt,  xxiii.  37;  Luke 
xiii.  33,  34;  Matt,  xxvii.  25 ;  chap.  xx.  11-16;  1  Thess. 
ii.  14-16. 

This  is  the  city,  and  these  are  the  people  ;  this  is  their 
character,  and  these  are  their  sins  :  nor  can  there  be  pro- 
duced their  parallel  in  all  this  world.  Nay,  what  world, 
what  people,  what  nation,  for  sin  and  transgression,  could, 
or  can  be  compared  to  Jerusalem  !  especially  if  you  join  to 
the  matter  of  fact  the  light  they  sinned  against,  and  the 
patience  which  they  abused.  Infinite  was  the  wickedness 
upon  this  account  which  they  committed. 

After  all  their  abusings  of  wise  men,  and  prophets,  God 
sent  unto  them  John  Baptist,  to  reduce  them>  and  then 


4  TI1E  JERUSALEM  SIKXEK  SAVED. 

his  Son  to  redeem  them ;  but  they  would  be  neither  reduced 
nor  redeemed,  but  persecuted  both  to  the  death.  Nor  did 
they,  as  I  said,  stop  here  ;  the  holy  apostles  they  afterwards 
persecuted  also  to  death,  even  so  many  as  they  could  ;  the 
rest  they  drove  from  them  unto  the  utmost  corners. 

II.  I  come  now  to  show  you  what  it  was  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  them.  It  was,  salth  Luke,  to  preach  to  them 
"  repentance  and  remission  of  sins"  in  Christ's  name;  or, 
as  Mark  has  it,  to  bid  them  "repent  and  believe  the  gospel," 
Mark  i.  15  ;  not  that  repentance  is  a  cause  of  remission,  but 
a  sign  of  our  hearty  reception  thereof.  Repentance  is  there- 
fore here  put  to  intimate,  that  no  pretended  faith  of  the  gos- 
pel is  good  that  is  not  accompanied  with  it :  and  this  he  doth 
on  purpose,  because  he  would  not  have  them  deceive  them- 
selves :  for  with  what  faith  can  he  expect  remission  of  sins 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  that  is  not  heartily  sorry  for  them  ? 
Or  how  shall  a  man  be  able  to  give  to  others  a  satisfactory 
account  of  his  unfeigned  subjection  to  the  gospel,  that  yet 
abides  in  his  impenitency  ? 

Wherefore  repentance  is  here  joined  with  faith  in  the 
way  of  receiving  the  gospel.  Faith  is  that  without  which 
it  cannot  be  received  at  all ;  and  repentance  that  without 
which  it  cannot  be  received  unfeignedly.  When  therefore 
Clirist  says,  he  would  have  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  it  is  as  much  as 
to  say,  I  will  that  all  men  every  where  be  sorry  for  their 
sins,  and  accept  of  mercy  at  God's  hand  through  me,  lest 
they  fall  under  his  wrath  in  the  judgment.  For  as  I  had 
said,  without  repentance,  what  pretence  soever  men  have 
of  faith,  they  cannot  escape  the  wrath  to  come.  Wherefore 
Paul  saith,  God  commands  "  all  men  every  where  to  repent," 
(in  order  to  their  salvation),  "  because  he  hath  appointed  a 
day  In  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness 
by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained  ;"  Acts  xvii.  31. 

And  now  to  come  to  this  clause,  "  Beginning  at  Jerusa- 
lem ;"  that  is,  that  Christ  would  have  Jerusalem  have  the 
first  offer  of  the  gospel. 

1.  This  cannot  be  so  commanded,  because  they  had  now 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  5 

any  more  right  of  themselves  thereto  than  had  any  of  the 
nations  of  the  world  ;  for  their  sins  had  divested  them  of 
all  self-deservings. 

2.  Nor  yet,  because  they  stood  upon  the  advance-ground 
with  the  worst  of  the  sinners  of  the  nations  ;  nay,  rather, 
the  sinners  of  the  nations  had  the  advance-ground  of  them : 
for  Jerusalem  was,  long  before  she  had  added  this  iniquity 
to  lwr  sin,  worse  than  the  very  nations  that  God  cast  out 
before  the  children  of  Israel ;  2  Chron.  xxxiii. 

3.  It  must  therefore  follow,  that  this  clause,  Begin  at 
Jerusalem,  was  put  into  this  commission  of  mere  grace  and 
compassion,  even  from  the  overflowings  of  the  bowels  of 
mercy  ;  for  indeed  they  were  the  worst,  and  so  in  the  most 
deplorable  condition  of  any  people  under  the  heavens. 

Whatever,  therefore,  their  relation  was  to  Abraham^ 
Isaac,  or  Jacob,  however  they  formerly  had  been  the  people 
among  whom  God  had  placed  his  name  and  worship,  they 
were  now  degenerated  from  God,  more  than  the  nations 
were  from  their  idols,  and  were  become  guilty  of  the  highest 
sins  which  the  people  of  the  world  were  capable  of  commit- 
ting. Nay,  none  can  be  capable  of  committing  of  such  par- 
donable sins  as  they  committal  against  their  God,  when 
they  slew  his  Son,  and  persecuted  his  name  and  word. 

From  these  words,  therefore,  thus  explained,  we  gain 
this  observation  : 

That  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy  offered  in  the  first 
place  to  the  biggest  sinners. 

That  these  Jerusalem  sinners  were  the  biggest  sinners 
that  ever  were  in  the  world,  I  think  none  will  deny,  that 
believes  that  Christ  was  the  best  man  that  ever  was  in  the 
world,  and  also  was  their  Lord  God.  And  that  they  were 
to  have  the  first  offer  of  his  grace,  the  text  is  as  clear  as 
the  sun  ;  for  it  saith,  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem."  "  Preach," 
eaith  he,  "  repentance  and  remission  of  sins"  to  the  Jerusa- 
lem sinners  :  to  the  Jerusalem  sinners  in  the  first  place. 

One  would  a-thought,  since  the  Jerusalem  sinners  were 
the  worst  and  greatest  sinners,  Christ's  greatest  enemies, 
and  those  that  not  only  despised  his  person,  doctrine,  and 


6  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

miracles,  but  that  a  little  before  had  had  their  hands  up  to 
the  elbows  in  his  heart-blood,  that  he  should  rather  have 
said,  Co  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins  among-  all  nations  ;  and  after  that  offer  the 
same  to  Jerusalem  ;  yea,  it  had  been  infinite  grace,  if  he 
had  said  so.  But  what  grace  is  this,  or  what  name  shall 
we  give  it,  when  he  commands  that  this  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins,  which  is  designed  to  be  preached  in  all 
nations,  should  first  be  offered  to  Jerusalem,  in  the  first 
place  to  the  worst  of  sinners  ! 

Nor  was  this  the  first  time  that  the  grace  which  was  in 
the  heart  of  Christ  thus  shewed  itself  to  the  world.  For 
while  he  was  yet  alive,  even  while  he  was  yet  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  perceived  even  among  these  Jerusalem  sinners, 
which  was  the  most  vile  amongst  them,  he  still  in  his 
preaching  did  signify  that  he  had  a  desire  that  the  worst 
of  these  worst  should  in  the  first  place  come  unto  him. 
The  which  he  showeth,  where  he  saith  to  the  better  sort  of 
them,  "  The  publicans  and  harlots  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  before  you ;"  Matt.  xxi.  31.  Also  when  he  com- 
pared Jerusalem  with  the  sinners  of  the  nations,  then  he 
commands  that  the  Jerusalem  sinners  should  have  the 
gospel  at  present  confined  to  them.  "  Go  not,"  saith  he, 
"  into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  of  the  cities 
of  the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not  ;  but  go  rather  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel  ;"  Matt.  x.  5,  6  ;  chap,  xxiii. 
37  ;  but  go  rather  to  them,  for  they  were  in  the  most 
fearful  plight. 

These  therefore  must  have  the  cream  of  the  gospel, 
namely,  the  first  offer  thereof  in  his  lifetime  :  yea,  when 
he  departed  out  of  the  world,  he  left  this  as  part  of  his  last 
will  with  his  preachers,  that  they  also  should  offer  it  first 
to  Jerusalem..  He  had  a  mind,  a  careful  mind,  as  it  seems, 
to  privilege  the  worst  of  sinners  with  the  first  offer  of 
mercy,  and  to  take  from  among  them  a  people  to  be  the 
first  fruits  unto  God  and  to  the  Lamb. 

The  15th  of  Luke  also  is  famous  for  this,  where  the  Lord 
Jesus  takes  more  care,  as  appears  there  by  three  parables, 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  7 

for  the  lost  sheep,  lost  groat,  and  the  prodigal  son,  than  for 
the  other  sheep,  the  other  pence,  or  for  the  son  that  said  he 
had  never  transgressed,  yea,  he  shows  that  there  is  joy  in 
heaven,  among  the  angels  of  God,  at  the  repentance  of  one 
sinner,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons,  which 
need  no  repentance  ;  Luke  xv. 

After  this  manner  therefore  the  mind  of  Christ  was  set 
on  the  salvation  of  the  biggest  sinners  in  his  lifetime.  But 
join  to  this,  this  clause,  which  he  carefully  put  into  the 
apostles'  commission  to  preach,  when  he  departed  hence  to 
the  Father,  and  then  you  shall  see  that  his  heart  was 
vehemently  set  upon  it  ;  for  these  were  part  of  his  last 
words  with  them,  Preach  my  gospel  to  all  nations,  hut  see 
that  you  begin  at  Jerusalem. 

Nor  did  the  apostles  overlook  this  clause  when  their 
Lord  was  gone  into  heaven  :  they  went  first  to  them  of 
Jerusalem,  and  preached  Christ's  gospel  to  them :  they 
abode  also  there  for  a  season  and  time,  and  preached  it  to 
no  body  else,  for  they  had  regard  to  the  commandment  of 
their  Lord. 

And  it  is  to  be  observed,  namely,  that  the  first  sermon 
which  they  preached  after  the  ascension  of  Christ,  it  was 
preached  to  the  very  worst  of  these  Jerusalem  sinners,  even 
to  these  that  were  the  murderers  of  Jesus  Christ,  Acts  ii. 
23,  for  these  are  part  of  the  sermon  :  "  Ye  took  him,  and 
by  wicked  hands  have  crucified  and  slain  him."  Yea,  the 
next  sermon,  and  the  next,  and  also  the  next  to  that,  was 
preached  to  the  self-same  murderers,  to  the  end  they  might 
be  saved  ;  Acts  iii.  14-16  ;  chap.  iv.  10,  11  ;  chap.  v.  30  ; 
chap.  vii.  52. 

But  we  will  return  to  the  first  sermon  that  was  preached 
to  these  Jerusalem  sinners,  by  which  will  be  manifest  more 
than  great  grace,  if  it  be  duly  considered. 

For  after  that  Peter,  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  had,  in 
their  exhortation,  persuaded  these  wretches  to  believe  that 
they  had  killed  the  Prince  of  life,  and  after  they  had  duly 
fallen  under  the  guilt  of  their  murder,  saying,  "  Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do  V  he  replies,  by  an  universal 


8  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

tender  to  them  all  in  general,  considering  them  as  Christ's 
killers,  that  if  they  were  sorry  for  what  they  had  done, 
and  would  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  their  sins  in 
his  name,  they  should  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
Acts  ii.  37,  38. 

This  he  said  to  them  all,  though  he  knew  that  they 
were  such  sinners.  Yea,  he  said  it  without  the  least  stick 
or  stop,  or  pause  of  spirit,  as  to  whether  he  had  best  to  say 
so  or  no.  Nay,  so  far  off  was  Peter  from  making  an  objec- 
tion against  one  of  them,  that  by  a  particular  clause  in  his 
exhortation,  he  endeavours,  that  rot  one  of  them  may  escape 
the  salvation  offered.  "  Repent,"  saith  he,  "  and  be  baptized 
every  one  of  you."  I  shut  out  never  a  one  of  you  ;  for  I 
am  commanded  by  my  Lord  to  deal  with  you,  as  it  were, 
one  by  one,  by  the  word  of  his  salvation.  But  why  speaks 
he  so  particularly  ?  Oh  !  there  were  reasons  for  it.  The 
people  with  whom  the  apostles  were  now  to  deal,  as  they 
were  murderers  of  our  Lord,  and  to  be  charged  in  the  ge- 
neral with  his  blood,  so  they  had  their  various  and  parti- 
cular acts  of  villany  in  the  guilt  thereof,  now  lying  upon 
their  consciences.  And  the  guilt  of  these  their  various  and 
particular  acts  of  wickedness,  could  not  perhaps  be  reached 
to  a  removal  thereof,  but  by  this  particular  application. 
Repent  every  one  of  you  ;  be  baptized  every  one  of  you,  in 
his  name,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  you  shall,  every 
one  of  you,  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Object.  But  I  was  one  of  them  that  plotted  to  take 
away  his  life.     May  I  be  saved  by  him  ? 

Peter.     Every  one  of  you. 

Object.  But  I  was  one  of  them  that  bare  false  witness 
against  him.     Is  there  grace  for  me  ? 

Peter.     For  every  one  of  you. 

Ofjcct.  But  I  was  one  of  them  that  cried  out,  Crucify 
him,  crucify  him  ;  and  desired  that  Barabbas  the  uiua-derei 
might  live,  rather  than  him.  What  will  become  of  me, 
think  ; 

Peter,  .  I  am  to  preach  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
to  every  one  of  you.  says  Peter. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER,  SAVED.  9 

Object.  But  I  was  one  of  them  that  did  spit  in  his  face 
when  he  stood  before  his  accusers.  I  also  was  one  that 
mocked  him,  when  in  anguii 
tree.     Is  there  room  for  roe  ? 

Peter.     For  every  one  of  you,  says  Peter. 

Object.  But  I  was  one  of  them  that  in  his  extremity 
said,  give  him  gall  and  vinegar  to  drink.  Why  may  not  I 
expect  the  same  when  anguish  and  guilt  is  upon  me  ? 

Peter.  Repent  of  these  your  wickednesses,  and  here  is 
remission  of  sins  for  every  one  of  you. 

Object.  But  I  railed  on  him,  I  reviled  him,  I  hated  him, 
I  rejoiced  to  see  him  mocked  at  by  others.  Can  there  be 
hopes  for  me  ? 

Peter.  There  is  for  every  one  of  you.  "  Repent  and 
be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Oh  !  what  a  blessed  "  Every  one  of 
you,"  is  here  !  How  willing  was  Peter,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus,  by  his  ministry,  to  catch  these  murderers  with  the 
word  of  the  gospel,  that  they  might  be  made  monuments 
of  the  grace  of  God  !  How  unwilling,  I  say,  was  he,  that 
any  of  these  should  escape  the  hand  of  mercy  !  Yea,  what 
an  amazing  wonder  it  is  to  think,  that  above  all  the  world, 
and  above  every  body  in  it,  these  should  have  the  first  offer 
of  mercy  !     "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

But  was  there  not  something  of  moment  in  this  clause  of 
the  commission  1  Did  not  Peter,  think  you,  see  a  great 
deal  in  it,  that  he  should  thus  begin  with  these  men,  and 
thus  offer,  so  particularly,  this  grace  to  each  particular 
man  of  them  1 

But,  as  I  told  you,  this  is  not  all ;  these  Jerusalem  sin- 
ners must  have  this  offer  again  and  again  ;  every  one  of 
them  must  be  offered  it  over  and  over.  Christ  would  not 
take  their  first  rejection  for  a  denial,  nor  their  second  re- 
pulse for  a  denial  ;  but  he  will  have  grace  offered  once,  and 
twice,  and  thrice,  to  these  Jerusalem  sinners.  Is  not  this 
amazing  grace  !  Christ  will  not  be  put  off.  These  are  the 
sinners  that  are  sinners  indeed.     They  are  sinners  of  the 


10  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

biggest  sort  ;  consequently  such  as  Christ  can,  if  they 
convert  and  be  saved,  best  serve  his  ends  and  designs  upon. 
Of  which  more  anon. 

But  what  a  pitch  of  grace  is  this  !  Christ  is  minded  to 
amaze  the  world,  and  to  shew,  that  he  acteth  not  like  the 
children  of  men.  This  is  that  which  he  said  of  old.  "  I  will 
not  execute  the  fierceness  of  my  wrath,  I  will  not  return  to 
destroy  Ephraim  ;  for  I  am  God  and  not  man ;"  Hos.  xi.  9. 
This  is  not  the  manner  of  men  ;  men  are  shorter  winded  ; 
men  are  soon  moved  to  take  vengeance,  and  to  right  them- 
selves in  a  way  of  wrath  and  indignation.  But  God  is  full 
of  grace,  full  of  patience,  ready  to  forgive,  and  one  that 
delights  in  mercy.  All  this  is  seen  in  our  text.  The  biggest 
sinners  must  first  be  offered  mercy  ;  they  must,  I  say,  have 
the  cream  of  the  gospel  offered  unto  them. 

But  we  will  a  little  proceed.  In  the  third  chapter  we 
find,  that  they  who  escaped  converting  by  the  first  sermon, 
are  called  upon  again,  to  accept  of  grace  and  forgiveness, 
for  their  murder  committed  upon  the  Son  of  God.  You 
have  killed,  yea,  "you  have  denied,  the  holy  one  and  the 
just,  and  desired  a  murderer  to  be  granted  unto  you  ;  and 
killed  the  Prince  of  life."  Mark,  he  falls  again  upon  the 
very  men  that  actually  were,  as  you  have  it  in  the  chap- 
ters following,  his  very  betrayers  and  murderers,  Acts  iii. 
14,  15  ;  as  being  loath  that  they  should  escape  the  mercy 
of  forgiveness  ;  and  exhorts  them  again  to  repent,  that 
their  sins  might  "  be  blotted  out  ;"  verses  19,  20. 

Again,  in  the  fourth  chapter,  he  charges  them  afresh 
with  this  murder,  ver.  10  ;  but  withal  tells  them,  salva- 
tion is  in  no  other.  Then,  like  a  heavenly  decoy,  he  puts 
himself  also  among  them,  to  draw  them  the  better  under 
the  net  of  the  gospel ;  saying,  "  There  is  none  other  name 
under  heaven  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be 
saved  ;"  ver.  12. 

In  the  fifth  chapter  you  find  them  railing  at  him,  be- 
cause he  continued  preaching  among  them  salvation  in  the 
name  of  Jesus.  But  he  tells  them,  that  that  very  Jesus 
whom  thev  bad  slain  and  hanged  on  a  tree,  him  God  had 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  U 

raised  up,  and  exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to 
give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins  :  ver. 
29-31.  Still  insinuating,  that  though  they  had  killed  him] 
and  to  this  day  rejected  him,  yet  his  business  was  to  bestow 
upon  them  repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins. 

'Tis  true,  after  they  began  to  kill  again,  and  when 
nothing  but  killing  would  serve  their  turn,  then  they  that 
were  scattered  abroad  went  every  where  preaching  the 
word.  Yet  even  some  of  them  so  hankered  after  the  con- 
version of  the  Jews,  that  they  preached  the  gospel  only  to 
them.  Also  the  apostles  still  made  their  abode  at  Jerusa- 
lem, in  hopes  that  they  might  yet  let  down  their  net  for 
another  draught  of  these  Jerusalem  sinners.  Neither  did 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  who  were  the  ministers  of  God  to  the 
Gentiles,  but  offer  the  gospel,  in  the  first  place,  to  those 
of  them  that  for  their  wickedness  were  scattered  like  vaga- 
bonds among  the  nations  ;  yea,  and  when  they  rendered  re- 
bellion and  blasphemy  for  their  service  and  love,  they 
replied,  it  was  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first 
have  been  spoken  to  them ;  Acts  i.  8  ;  chap.  xiii.  46,  47. 

Nor  was  this  their  preaching  unsuccessful  among  these 
people  :  but  the  Lord  Jesus  so  wrought  with  the  word 
thus  spoken,  that  thousands  of  them  came  flocking  to  him 
for  mercy.  Three  thousand  of  them  closed  with  him  at 
the  first ;  and  afterwards  two  thousand  more  ;  for  now 
they  were  in  number  about  five  thousand  ;  whereas  be- 
fore sermons  were  preached  to  these  murderers,  the  num- 
ber of  the  disciples  was  not  above  "  a  hundred  and  twenty  ;" 
Acts  i.  15  ;  chap.  ii.  41  ;  chap.  iv.  4. 

Also  among  these  people  that  thus  flocked  to  him  for 
mercy,  there  was  a  "  great  company  of  the  priests  ;"  chap. 
vi.  7.  Now  the  priests  were  they  that  were  the  greatest 
of  these  biggest  sinners ;  they  were  the  ringleaders,  they 
were  the  inventors  and  ringleaders  in  the  mischief.  It  was 
they  that  set  the  people  against  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  that 
were  the  cause  why  the  uproar  increased,  until  Pilate  had 
given  sentence  upon  him.  "  The  chief  priests  and  elders," 
says  the  text,  "  persuaded  (the  people)  the  multitude,"  that 


12  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

they  should  ask  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus ;  Matt,  xxvii. 
20.  And  yet  behold  the  priests,  yea,  a  great  company  of 
the  priests,  became  obedient  to  the  faith. 

Oh  the  greatness  of  the  grace  of  Christ,  that  he  should 
be  thus  in  love  with  the  souls  of  Jerusalem  sinners  !  that 
he  should  be  thus  delighted  with  the  salvation  of  the 
Jerusalem  sinners  !  that  he  should  not  only  will  that  his 
gospel  should  be  offered  them,  but  that  it  should  be  offer- 
ed unto  them  first,  and  before  other  sinners  were  admitted 
to  a  hearing  of  it.     "  Begin  at  Jerusalem." 

Were  this  doctrine  well  believed,  where  would  there  be 
a  place  for  a  doubt,  or  a  fear  of  the  damnation  of  the  soul, 
if  the  sinner  be  penitent,  how  bad  a  life  soever  he  has  lived, 
how  many  soever  in  number  are  his  sins  ? 

But  this  grace  is  hid  from  the  eyes  of  men  ;  the  devil 
hides  it  from  them  ;  for  he  knows  it  is  alluring,  he  knows 
it  has  an  attracting  virtue  in  it :  for  this  is  it  that  above 
all  arguments  can  draw  the  soul  to  God. 

I  cannot  help  it,  but  must  let  drop  another  word.  The 
first  church,  the  Jerusalem  church,  from  whence  the  gos- 
pel was  to  be  sent  into  all  the  world,  was  a  church  made 
up  of  Jerusalem  sinners.  These  great  sinners  were  here 
the  most  shining  monuments  of  the  exceeding  grace  of 
God. 

Thus  you  see  I  have  proved  the  doctrine  ;  and  that  not 
only  by  showing  you  that  this  was  the  practice  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  lifetime,  but  his  last  will  when  he 
went  up  to  God  ;  saying,  Begin  to  preach  at  Jerusalem. 

Yea,  it  is  yet  further  manifested,  in  that  when  his  mi- 
nisters first  began  to  preach  there,  he  joined  his  power 
to  the  word,  to  the  converting  of  thousands  of  his  betrayers 
and  murderers,  and  also  many  of  the  ringleading  priests  to 
the  faith. 

I  shall  now  proceed,  and  shall  show  you, 

1.  The  reasons  of  the  point : 

2.  And  then  make  some  application  of  the  whole. 

The  observation,  you  know,  is  this  :  Jesus  Christ  would 
have  mercy  offered,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sin- 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  ]3 

ners,  to  the  Jerusalem  sinners  :  "  Preach  repentance,  and 
remission  of  sins,  in  my  name,  among  all  nations,  begin- 
ning at  Jerusalem." 

The  reasons  of  the  point  are  : 

First,  Because  the  biggest  sinners  have  most  need  thereof. 
He  that  has  most  need,  reason  says,  should  be  helped  first. 
I  mean,  when  a  helping  hand  is  offered,  and  now  it  is  :  for 
the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  is  sent  to  help  the  world  ; 
Acts  xvi.  9.  But  the  biggest  sinner  has  most  need.  There- 
fore, in  reason,  when  mercy  is  sent  down  from  heaven  to 
men,  the  worst  of  men  should  have  the  first  offer  of  it. 
"Begin  at  Jerusalem."  This  is  the  reason  which  the  Lord 
Christ  himself  renders,  why  in  his  lifetime  he  left  the 
best,  and  turned  him  to  the  worst ;  why  he  sat  so  loose 
from  the  righteous,  and  stuck  so  close  to  the  wicked. 
"  The  whole,"  saith  he,  "  have  no  need  of  the  physician, 
but  the  sick.  I  came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance;"  Mark  ii.  15-17. 

Above  you  read,  that  the  scribes  and  pharisees  said  to 
his  disciples,  "  How  is  it  that  he  eateth  and  drinketh  with 
publicans  and  sinners  ?"  Alas  !  they  did  not  know  the 
reason  :  but  the  Lord  renders  them  one,  and  such  an  one 
as  is  both  natural  and  cogent,  saying,  These  have  need, 
most  need.  Their  great  necessity  requires  that  I  should 
be  most  friendly,  and  show  my  grace  first  to  them. 

Not  that  the  other  were  sinless,  and  so  had  no  need  of 
a  Saviour ;  but  the  publicans  and  their  companions  were 
the  biggest  sinners  ;  they  were,  as  to  view,  worse  than  the 
scribes  ;  and  therefore  in  reason  should  be  helped  first,  be- 
cause they  had  most  need  of  a  Saviour. 

Men  that  are  at  the  point  to  die  have  more  need  of  the 
physician  than  they  that  are  but  now  and  then  troubled 
with  an  heart-fainting  qualm.  The  publicans  and  sinners 
were,  as  it  were,  in  the  mouth  of  death  ;  death  was  swal- 
lowing of  them  down  :  and  therefore  the  Lord  Jesus  re- 
ceives them  first,  offers  them  mercy  first.  "  The  whole 
have  no  need  of  the  physician,  but  the  sick.  I  came  not 
to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance."  The 
'*ck,  as  I  said,  is  the  biggest  sinner,  whether  he  sees  his 


14  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

disease  or  not.  He  is  stained  from  head  to  foot,  from  heart 
to  life  and  conversation.  This  man,  in  every  man's  judg- 
ment, has  the  most  need  of  mercy.  There  is  nothing  at- 
tends him  from  bed  to  board,  and  from  board  to  bed  again, 
but  the  visible  characters,  and  obvious  symptoms,  of  eternal 
damnation.  This  therefore  is  the  man  that  has  need,  most 
need  ;  and  therefore  in  reason  should  be  helped  in  the  first 
place.  Thus  it  was  with  the  people  concerned  in  the  text, 
they  were  the  worst  of  sinners,  Jerusalem  sinners,  sinners 
of  the  biggest  size  ;  and  therefore  such  as  had  the  greatest 
need  ;  wherefore  they  must  have  mercy  offered  to  them, 
before  it  be  offered  any  where  else  in  the  world.  "  Begin 
at  Jerusalem,"  offer  mercy  first  to  a  Jerusalem  sinner. 
This  man  has  most  need,  he  is  farthest  from  God,  nearest 
to  hell,  and  so  one  that  has  most  need.  This  man's  sins 
are  in  number  the  most,  in  cry  the  loudest,  in  weight  the 
heaviest,  and  consequently  will  sink  him  soonest :  where- 
fore he  has  most  need  of  mercy.  This  man  is  shut  up  in 
Satan's  hand,  fastest  bound  in  the  cords  of  his  sins  :  one 
that  justice  is  whetting  his  sword  to  cut  off ;  and  therefore 
has  most  need,  not  only  of  mercy,  but  that  it  should  be 
extended  to  him  in  the  first  place. 

But  a  little  further  to  show  you  the  time  nature  of  this 
reason,  to  wit,  That  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy 
offered,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners. 

First,  Mercy  ariseth  from  the  bowels  and  compassion, 
from  pity,  and  from  a  feeling  of  the  condition  of  those  in 
misery.  "  In  his  love,  and  in  his  pity,  he  saveth  us."  And 
again,  "  The  Lord  is  pitiful,  very  pitiful,  and  of  great 
mercy  ;"  Isa.  lxiii.  9 ;  James  v.  11. 

Now,  where  pity  and  compassion  is,  there  is  yearning 
of  bowels  ;  and  where  there  is  that,  there  is  a  readiness  to 
help.  And,  I  say  again,  the  more  deplorable  and  dreadful 
the  condition  is,  the  more  directly  doth  bowels  and  com- 
passion turn  themselves  to  such,  and  offer  help  and  de- 
liverance. All  this  flows  from  our  first  scripture  proof,*  I 
came  to  call  them  that  have  need  ;  to  call  them  first, 
while  the  rest  look  on  and  murmur. 

"  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Eohraim  V   Ephraim  was  a 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  15 

revolter  from  God,  a  man  that  had  given  himself  up  to 
devilism  :  a  company  of  men,  the  ten  tribes,  that  worship- 
ped devils,  while  Judah  kept  with  his  God.  "  But  how 
shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ?  How  shall  I  deliver  thee, 
Israel  ?  How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah  ?  How  shall  I 
set  thee  as  Zeboim  1  (and  yet  thou  art  worse  than  they  : 
nor  has  Samaria  committed  half  thy  sins)  ;  Ezek.  xvi. 
46-51.  My  heart  is  turned  within  me,  and  my  repentings 
are  kindled  together ;"  Hos.  xi.  8. 

But  where  do  you  find  that  ever  the  Lord  did  thus  yearn 
in  his  bowels  for  and  after  any  self-righteous  man  ?  JNo,  no  ; 
they  are  the  publicans  and  harlots,  idolaters  and  Jerusalem 
sinners,  for  whom  his  bowels  thus  yearn  and  tumble  about 
within  him  :  for,  alas  !  poor  worms,  they  have  most  need 
of  mercy. 

Had  not  the  good  Samaritan  more  compassion  for  that 
man  that  fell  among  thieves  (though  that  fall  was  oc- 
casioned by  his  going  from  the  place  where  they  worship- 
ped God,  to  Jericho,  the  cursed  city)  than  we  read  he  had 
for  any  other  besides  ?  His  wine  was  for  him,  his  oil  was 
for  him,  his  beast  for  him  ;  his  penny,  his  care,  and 
his  swaddling  bands  for  him  ;  for  alas  1  wretch,  he  had 
most  need  ;  Luke  x.  30-35. 

Zaccheus  the  publican,  the  chief  of  the  publicans,  one 
that  had  made  himself  the  richer  by  wronging  of  others  ; 
the  Lord  at  that  time  singled  him  out  from  all  the  rest  of 
his  brother  publicans,  and  that  in  the  face  of  many  Phari- 
sees, and  proclaimed  in  the  audience  of  them  all,  that  that 
day  salvation  was  come  to  his  house  ;  Luke  xix.  1-8. 

The  woman  also  that  had  been  bound,  down  by  Satan 
for  eighteen  years  together,  his  compassions  putting  him 
upon  it,  he  loosed  her,  though  those  that  stood  by  snarled 
at  him  for  so  doing  ;  Luke  xiii.  11-13. 

And  why  the  woman  of  Sarepta,  and  why  Naaman  the 
Syrian,  rather  than  widows  and  lepers  in  Israel,  but  be- 
cause their  conditions  were  more  deplorable,  (for  that) 
they  were  most  forlorn,  and  farthest  from  help;  Luke 
iv.  25,  27. 


16  THE  JERUSALEM  SINKER  SAVED; 

But  I  say,  why  all  these,  thus  named  ?  why  have  we 
not  a  catalogue  of  some  holy  men  that  were  so  in  their 
own  eyes,  and  in  the  judgment  of  the  world  ?  Alas  !  if  at 
any  time  any  of  them  are  mentioned,  how  seemingly  coldly 
doth  the  record  of  scripture  present  them  to  us  ?  Nicode- 
mus,  a  night  professor,  and  Simon  the  pharisee,  with  his 
fifty  pence  ;  and  their  great  ignorance  of  the  methods  of 
grace,  we  have  now  and  then  touched  upon. 

Mercy  seems  to  he  out  of  his  proper  channel,  when  it 
deals  with  self-righteous  men  ;  hut  then  it  runs  with  a  full 
stream  when  it  extends  itself  to  the  higgest  sinners.  As 
God's  mercy  is  not  regulated  hy  man's  goodness,  nor  ob- 
tained  hy  man's  worthiness  ;  so  not  much  set  out  hy  saving 
of  any  such.     But  more  of  this  anon. 

And  here  let  me  ask  my  reader  a  question  :  suppose  that 
as  thou  art  walking  hy  some  pond  side,  thou  shouldst  espy 
in  it  four  or  five  children  all  in  danger  of  drowning,  and 
one  in  more  danger  than  all  the  rest,  judge  which  has  most 
need  to  he  helped  out  first  ?  I  know  thou  wilt  say,  he  that 
is  nearest  drowning.  Why,  this  is  the  case  ;  the  higger 
sinner,  the  nearer  drowning  ;  therefore  the  higger  sinner 
the  more  need  of  mercy  ;  yea,  of  help  by  mercy  in  the  first 
place.  x\nd  to  this  our  text  agrees,  when  it  saith,  "  Be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem."  Let  the  Jerusalem  sinner,  says 
Christ,  have  the  first  offer,  the  first  invitation,  the  first 
tender  of  my  grace  and  mercy,  for  he  is  the  higgest  sinner, 
and  so  has  most  need  thereof. 

Secondly,  Christ  Jesus  would  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  because  when  they,  any 
of  them,  receive  it,  it  redounds  most  to  the  fame  of  his 
name. 

Christ  Jesus,  as  you  may  perceive,  has  put  himself  under 
the  term  of  a  physician,  a  doctor  for  curing  of  diseases  : 
and  you  know  that  applause  and  fame,  are  things  tWit 
physicians  much  desire.  That,  is  it  that  helps  them  v 
patients,  and  that  also  that  will  help  their  patients  to  com- 
mit themselves  to  their  skill  for  cure,  with  the  more  confi- 
dence and  repose  of  spirit.     And  the  best  way  for  a  doctor 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  17 

or  physician  to  get  himself  a  name,  is,  in  the  first  place,  to 
take  in  hand,  and  cure  some  such  as  all  others  have  given 
off  for  lost  and  dead.  Physicians  get  neither  name  nor 
fame  by  pricking  of  wheals,  or  pricking  out  thistles,  or  by 
laying  of  plaisters  to  the  scratch  of  a  pin  ;  every  old  woman 
can  do  this.  But  if  they  would  have  a  name  and  a  fame, 
if  they  will  have  it  quickly  they  must,  as  I  said,  do  some 
great  and  desperate  cures.  Let  them  fetch  one  to  life  that 
was  dead  ;  let  them  recover  one  to  his  wits  that  was  mad  ; 
let  them  make  one  that  was  born  blind  to  see  ;  or  let  them 
give  ripe  wits  to  a  fool  ;  these  are  notable  cures,  and  he 
that  can  do  thus,  and  if  he  doth  thus  first,  he  shall  have 
the  name  and  fame  he  desires  ;  he  may  lie  a-bed  till  noon. 

Why,  Christ  Jesus  forgiveth  sins  for  a  name,  and  so 
begets  of  himself  a  good  report  in  the  hearts  of  the  children 
of  men.  And  therefore  in  reason  he  must  be  willing,  as 
also  he  did  command,  that  his  mercy  should  be  offered  first 
to  the  biggest  sinners. 

"  I  will  forgive  their  sins,  iniquities,  and  transgressions," 
says  he,  "  and  it  shall  turn  to  me  for  a  name  of  joy,  and  a 
praise  and  an  honour,  before  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  ;" 
J  or.  xxxiii.  8,  9. 

And  hence  it  is,  that  at  his  first  appearing  he  took  upon 
him  to  do  such  mighty  works  :  he  got  a  fame  thereby,  he 
got  a  name  thereby  ;  Matt.  iv.  23,  24. 

When  Christ  had  cast  the  legion  of  devils  out  of  the  man 
of  whom  you  read,  Mark  v.,  he  bid  him  go  home  to  his 
friends,  and  tell  it  :  "  Go  home,"  saith  he,  "  to  thy  friends, 
and  tell  them  how  great  tilings  God  has  done  for  thee,  and 
has  had  compassion  on  thee ;"  Mark  v.  19.  Christ  Jesus  seeks 
a  name,  and  desireth  a  fame  in  the  world  ;  and  therefore,  or 
the  better  to  obtain  that,  he  commands  that  mercy  should 
first  be  proffered  to  the  biggest  sinners,  because,  by  the 
saving  of  one  of  them  he  makes  all  men  marvel.  As  'tis 
said  of  the  man  last  mentioned,  whom  Christ  cured  towards 
the  beginning  of  his  ministry  :  "  And  he  departed,"  says 
the  text,  "  and  began  to  publish  in  Decapolis,  how  great 
things  Jesus  had  done  for  him  ;  and  all  men  did  marvel,"  • 
ver.  20. 


18  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

When  John  told  Christ,  that  they  saw  one  casting  out 
devils  in  his  name,  and  they  forbade  him,  because  he  fol- 
lowed not  with  them,  what  is  the  answer  of  Christ?  "  For- 
bid him  not :  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle 
in  my  name,  that  can  lightly  speak  evil  of  me."  No  ;  they 
will  rather  cause  his  praise  to  be  heard,  and  his  name  to  be 
magnified,  and  so  put  glory  on  the  head  of  Christ. 

But  we  will  follow  a  little  our  metaphor :  Christ,  as  I 
said,  has  put  himself  under  the  term  of  a  physician  ;  con- 
sequently he  desireth  that  his  fame,  as  to  the  salvation  of 
sinners,  may  spread  abroad,  and  that  the  world  may  see 
what  he  can  do.  And  to  this  end,  he  has  not  only  com- 
manded, that  the  biggest  sinners  should  have  the  first  offer 
ef  his  mercy,  but  has,  as  physicians  do,  put  out  his  bills, 
and  published  his  doings,  that  things  may  be  read  and 
talked  of.  Yea,  he  has  moreover,  in  these  his  blessed  bills, 
the  holy  scriptures  I  mean,  inserted  the  very  names  of  per- 
sons, the  places  of  their  abode,  and  the  great  cures  that, 
by  the  means  of  his  salvations,  he  has  wrought  upon  them 
to  this  very  end.  Here  is,  Item,  such  a  one,  by  my  grace 
and  redeeming  blood,  was  made  a  monument  of  everlast- 
ing life  ;  and  such  a  one,  by  my  perfect  obedience,  became 
an  heir  of  glory.     And  then  he  produceth  their  names. 

Item,  I  saved  Lot  from  the  guilt  and  damnation  that  he 
had  procured  to  himself  by  his  incest. 

Item,  I  saved  David  from  the  vengeance  that  belonged 
to  him  for  committing  of  adultery  and  murder. 

Here  is  also  Solomon,  Manasseh,  Peter,  Magdalen,  and 
many  others,  made  mention  of  in  this  book.  Yea,  here 
are  their  names,  their  sins,  and  their  salvations  recorded 
together,  that  you  may  read  and  know  what  a  Saviour  he 
is,  and  do  him  honour  in  the  world.  For  why  are  these 
things  thus  recorded,  but  to  show  to  sinners  what  he  can 
do,  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  his  grace  1 

And  it  is  observable,  as  I  said  before,  we  have  but  very 
little  of  the  salvation  of  little  sinners  mentioned  in  God's 
book,  because  that  would  not  have  answered  the  design, 
to  wit,  to  bring  glory  and  fame  o  the  name  of  the  Son  of 
God. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  19 

What  should  he  the  reason,  think  you,  why  Christ 
should  so  easily  take  a  denial  of  the  great  ones,  that  were 
the  grandeur  of  the  world,  and  struggle  so  hard  for  hedge- 
creepers  and  highway -men  (as  that  parable,  Luke  xiv., 
seems  to  import  he  doth),  but  to  show  forth  the  riches  of 
the  glory  of  his  grace  to  his  praise  1  This  I  say,  is  one 
reason  to  be  sure. 

They  that  had  their  grounds,  their  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
their  marriage  joys,  were  invited  to  come  ;  but  they  made 
their  excuse,  and  that  served  the  turn.  But  when  he  comes 
to  deal  with  the  worst,  he  saith  to  his  servants,  Go  ye  out 
and  bring  them  in  hither.  "  Go  out  quickly,  and  bring 
in  hither  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  halt,  and  the  blind." 
And  they  did  so  :  and  he  said  again,  "  Go  out  into  the 
highways  and  hedges,  and  compel  them^  to  come  in,  that 
my  house  may  be  filled ;"  Luke  xiv.  18,  19,  23.  These 
poor,  lame,  maimed,  blind,  hedge-creepers  and  highway- 
men, must  come  in,  must  be  forced  in.  These,  if  saved,  will 
make  his  merits  shine. 

When  Christ  was  crucified,  and  hanged  up  between  the 
earth  and  heavens,  there  were  two  thieves  crucified  with 
him  ;  and  behold,  he  lays  hold  of  one  of  them  and  will 
have  him  away  with  him  to  glory.  Was  not  this  a  strange 
act,  and  a  display  of  unthought  of  grace  ?  Were  there 
none  but  thieves  there,  or  were  the  rest  of  that  company 
out  of  his  reach  '?  Could  he  not,  think  you,  have  stooped 
from  the  cross  to  the  ground,  and  have  laid  hold  on  some 
honester  man  if  he  would  1  Yes,  doubtless.  Oh  !  but  then 
he  would  not  have  displayed  his  grace,  nor  so  have  pur- 
sued his  own  designs,  namely,  to  get  to  himself  a  praise 
and  a  name  :  but  now  he  has  done  it  to  purpose.  For  who 
that  shall  read  this  story,  but  must  confess,  that  the  Son 
of  God  is  full  of  grace  ;  for  a  proof  of  the  riches  thereof, 
he  left  behind  him,  when  upon  the  cross  he  took  the  thief 
way  with  him  to  glory.  Nor  can  this  one  act  of  his  be 
juried  ;  it  will  be  talked  of  to  the  end  of  the  world  to  his 
praise.  "  Men  shall  speak  of  the  might  of  thy  terrible 
acts,  and  will  declare  thy  greatness  ;  they  shall  abundantly 


20  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

utter  the  memory  of  thy  great  goodness,  and  shall  sing  of 
thy  righteousness.  They  shall  speak  of  the  glory  of  thy 
kingdom,  and  talk  of  thy  power ;  to  make  known  to  the 
sons  of  men  his  mighty  acts,  and  the  glorious  majesty  of 
his  kingdom  ;"  Psalm  cxlv.  6-12. 

When  the  word  of  God  came  among  the  conjurers  and 
those  soothsayers  that  you  read  of,  Acts  xix.,  and  had  pre- 
vailed with  some  of  them  to  accept  of  the  grace  of  Christ, 
the  Holy  Ghost  records  it  with  a  boast,  for  that  it  would 
redound  to  his  praise,  saying, 

"  And  many  of  them  that  used  curious  arts,  brought 
their  books  together,  and  burned  them  before  all  men :  and 
counted  the  price  of  them,  and  found  it  fifty  thousand  pieces 
of  silver.  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God,  and  prevail- 
ed ;"  Acts  xix.  19,  20.  It  wrenched  out  of  the  clutches  of 
Satan  some  of  those  of  whom  he  thought  himself  most  sure. 
"  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God."  It  grew  mightily, 
it  encroached  upon  the  kingdom  of  the  devil.  It  pursued 
him,  and  took  the  prey  ;  it  forced  him  to  let  go  his  hold  : 
it  brought  away  captive,  as  prisoners  taken  by  force  of 
arms,  some  of  the  most  valiant  of  his  army  :  it  fetched 
back  from,  as  it  were,  the  confines  of  hell,  some  of  those 
that  were  his  most  trusty,  and  that  with  hell  had  been  at 
an  agreement :  it  made  them  come  and  confess  their  deeds, 
and  bum  their  books  before  all  men  :  "  So  mightily  grew 
the  word  of  God,  and  prevailed." 

Thus,  therefore,  you  see  why  Christ  will  have  mercy 
offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  they  have 
most  need  thereof ;  and  this  is  the  most  ready  way  to  extol 
his  name  that  rideth  upon  the  heavens  to  our  help.     But, 

Third!)/,  Christ  Jesus  would  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  because  by  their  forgive- 
ness and  salvation,  others  hearing  of  it,  will  be  encouraged 
the  more  to  come  to  him  for  life. 

For  the  physician,  by  curing  the  most  desperate  at  the 
first,  doth  not  only  get  himself  a  name,  but  begets  en- 
couragement in  the  minds  of  other  diseased  folk  to  come 
to  him  for  help.     Hence  £'Ou  read  of  our  Lord,  that  after, 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  21 

through  his  tender  mercy,  he  had  cured  many  of  great 
diseases,  his  fame  -was  spread  abroad,  "  They  brought  unto 
him  all  sick  people  that  \yere  taken  with  divers  diseases 
and  torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils, 
and  those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy, 
and  he  healed  them.  And  there  followed  him  great  multi- 
tudes of  people  from  Galilee,  and  Decapolis,  and  Jerusalem, 
and  Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan  ;"  Matt.  iv.  24,  25. 

See  here,  he  first  by  working  gets  himself  a  fame,  a  name, 
and  renown,  and  now  men  take  encouragement,  and  bring 
from  all  quarters  their  diseased  to  him,  being  helped,  by 
what  they  had  heard,  to  believe  that  their  diseased  should 
be  healed. 

Now,  as  he  did  with  those  outward  cures,  so  he  does  in 
the  proffers  of  his  grace  and  mercy  :  he  proffers  that  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  that  others  may  take  heart 
to  come  to  him  to  be  saved.  I  will  give  you  a  scripture  or 
two,  I  mean  to  show  you  that  Christ,  by  commanding  that 
his  mercy  should  in  the  first  place  be  offered  to  the  biggest 
of  sinners,  has  a  design  thereby  to  encourage  and  provoke 
others  to  come  also  to  him  for  mercy. 

"  God,"  saith  Paul,  "  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great 
love  wherewith  he  loved  us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in 
sins,  hath  rmickened  us  together  with  Christ  (by  grace  ye 
are  saved);  and  hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit 
together  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus."  But  why  did 
he  do  all  this  1  "  That  in  the  ages  to  come  he  might  shew 
the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace  in  his  kindness  towards  us 
through  Christ  Jesus  ;"  Eph.  ii.  4-7. 

See,  here  is  a  design  ;  God  lets  out  his  mercy  to  Ephesus 
of  design,  even  to  shew  to  the  ages  to  come  the  exceeding 
riches  of  his  grace,  in  his  kindness  to  them  through  Christ 
Jesus.  And  why  to  shew  by  these  the  exceeding  riches  of 
his  grace  to  the  ages  to  come,  through  Christ  Jesus,  but  to 
allure  them,  and  their  children  also,  to  come  to  him,  and 
to  partake  of  the  same  grace  through  Christ  Jesus  1 

But  what  was  Paul,  and  the  Ephesian  sinners  1  (of  Paul 
we  will  speak  anon).     These  Ephesian  sinners,  they  were 


22  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

men  dead  in  sins,  men  that  walked  according  to  the  dictates 
and  motions  of  the  devil ;  worshippers  of  Diana,  that  ef- 
feminate goddess  ;  men  far  off  from  God,  aliens  and  strangers 
to  all  good  things  ;  such  as  were  far  oif  from  that,  as  I  said, 
and  consequently  in  a  most  deplorable  condition.  As  the 
Jerusalem  sinners  were  of  the  highest  bote  among  the  Jews, 
so  these  Ephesian  sinners  were  of  the  highest  sort  among 
the  Gentiles ;  Eph.  ii.  1-3,  11,  12  ;  Acts  xix.  35. 

Wherefore  as  by  the  Jerusalem  sinners,  in  saving  them 
first,  he  had  a  design  to  provoke  others  to  come  to  him  for 
mercy,  so  the  same  design  is  here  set  on  foot  again,  in  his 
calling  and  converting  the  Ephesian  sinners,  "  That  in  the 
ages  to  come  he  might  shew  the  exceeding  riches  of  his 
grace,"  says  he,  "  in  his  kindness  towards  us  through  Christ 
Jesus."  There  is  yet  one  hint  behind.  It  is  said  that  God 
saved  these  for  his  love  ;  that  is,  as  I  think,  for  the  setting 
forth,  for  the  commendations  of  his  love,  for  the  advance 
of  his  love,  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  them  that  should 
come  after.  As  who  should  say,  God  has  had  mercy  upon, 
and  been  gracious  to  you,  that  he  might  shew  to  others, 
for  their  encouragement,  that  they  have  ground  to  come  to 
him  to  be  saved.  When  God  saves  one  great  sinner,  it  is 
to  encourage  another  great  sinner  to  come  to  him  for  mercy. 

He  saved  the  thief,  to  encourage  thieves  to  come  to  him 
for  mercy  ;  he  saved  Magdalen,  to  encourage  other  Magda- 
lens  to  come  to  him  for  mercy  ;  he  saved  Saul,  to  encourage 
Sauls  to  come  to  him  for  mercy  ;  and  this  Paul  himself 
doth  say,  "  For  this  cause,"  saith  he,  "  I  obtained  mercy, 
that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ  might  shew  forth  all  long- 
suffering  for  a  pattern  to  them  which  should  hereafter  be- 
lieve on  him  to  life  everlasting  ;"  1  Tim.  i.  16. 

How  plain  are  the  words !  Christ,  in  saving  of  me,  has 
given  to  the  world  a  pattern  of  his  grace,  that  they  might 
see  and  believe,  and  come,  and  be  saved  ;  that  they  that  are 
to  be  born  hereafter  might  believe  on  Jesus  Christ  to  life 
everlasting. 

But  what  was  Paul  ?  Why,  he  tells  you  himself ;  I  am, 
says  he,  the  chief  of  sinners  :  I  was,  says  he,  a  blasphemer, 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  23 

a  persecutor,  an  injurious  person  ;  but  I  obtained  mercy  ; 
1  Tim.  i.  14,  15.  Ay,  that  is  well  for  you,  Paul ;  but  what 
advantage  have  we  thereby  1  Oh,  very  much,  saith  he  ; 
for,  "  for  this  cause  I  obtained  mercy,  that  in  me  first, 
Jesus  Christ  might  shew  all  long-suffering  for  a  pattern  to 
them  which  shall  believe  on  him  to  life  everlasting." 

Thus,  therefore,  you  see  that  this  third  reason  is  of 
strength,  namely,  that  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy 
offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  because,  by 
their  forgiveness  and  salvation,  others,  hearing  of  it,  will 
be  encouraged  the  more  to  come  to  him  for  mercy. 

It  may  well  therefore  be  said  to  God,  Thou  delightest  in 
mercy,  and  mercy  pleases  thee;  Mich.  vii.  13. 

But  who  believes  that  this  was  God's  design  in  shewing 
mercy  of  old — namely,  that  we  that  come  after  might  take 
courage  to  come  to  him  for  mercy ;  or  that  Jesus  Christ 
would  have  mercy  offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest 
sinners,  to  stir  up  others  to  come  to  him  for  life  ?  This  is 
not  the  manner  of  men,  0  God  ! 

But  David  saw  this  betimes ;  therefore  he  makes  this 
one  argument  with  God,  that  he  would  blot  out  his  trans- 
gressions, that  he  would  forgive  his  adultery,  his  murders, 
and  horrible  hypocrisy.  Do  it,  0  Lord,  saith  he,  do  it,  and 
"  then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall 
be  converted  unto  thee;"  Psalm  li.  7-13. 

He  knew  that  the  conversion  of  sinners  would  be  a  work 
highly  pleasing  to  God,  as  being  that  which  he  had  de- 
signed before  he  made  mountain  or  hill :  wherefore  he 
comes,  and  he  saith,  Save  me,  0  Lord;  if  thou  wilt  but 
save  me,  I  will  fall  in  with  thy  design  ;  I  will  help  to  bring 
what  sinners  to  thee  I  can.  And,  Lord,  I  am  willing  to 
be  made  a  preacher  myself,  for  that  I  have  been  a  horrible 
sinner :  wherefore,  if  thou  shalt  forgive  my  great  trans- 
gressions, I  shall  be  a  fit  man  to  tell  of  thy  wondrous  grace 
to  others.  Yea,  Lord,  I  dare  promise,  that  if  thou  wilt 
have  mercy  upon  me,  it  shall  tend  to  the  glory  of  thy  grace, 
and  also  to  the  increase  of  thy  kingdom  ;  for  I  will  tell  it, 
and  sinners  will  hear  on 't.    And  there  is  nothing  so  suiteth 

E 


24  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

with  the  hearing  sinner  as  mercy,  and  to  be  informed  that 
God  is  willing  to  bestow  it  upon  him.  "  I  will  teach  trans- 
gressors thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto 
thee." 

Nor  will  Christ  Jesus  miss  of  his  design  in  proffering  of 
mercy  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners.  You  know 
what  work  the  Lord,  by  laying  hold  of  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria, made  among  the  people  there.  They  knew  that 
she  was  a  town  sinner,  an  adulteress,  yea,  one  that  after 
the  most  audacious  manner  lived  in  uncleanness  with  a 
man  that  was  not  her  husband  :  but  when  she,  from  a  turn 
upon  her  heart,  went  into  the  city,  and  sa-id  to  her  neigh- 
bours, "  Come,"  Oh  how  they  came !  how  they  flocked 
out  of  the  city  to  Jesus  Christ !  "  Then  they  went  out  of 
the  city,  and  came  to  him."  "  And  many  of  the  Samari- 
tans (people  perhaps  as  bad  as  herself)  believed  on  him, 
for  the  saying  of  the  woman,  which  testified,  saying,  He 
told  me  all  that  ever  I  did  ;"  John  iv.  39. 

That  word,  "  He  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did,"  was  a  great 
argument  with  them  ;  for  by  that  they  gathered,  that 
though  he  knew  her  to  be  vile,  yet  he  did  not  despise  her, 
nor  refuse  to  shew  how  willing  he  was  to  communicate 
his  grace  unto  her ;  and  this  fetched  over,  first  her,  then 
them. 

This  woman,  as  I  said,  was  a  Samaritan  sinner,  a  sinner 
of  the  worst  complexion  :  for  the  Jews  abhorred  to  have 
.ought  to  do  with  them,  ver.  9  ;  wherefore  none  more  fit 
than  she  to  be  made  one  of  the  decoys  of  heaven,  to  bring 
others  of  these  Samaritan  wild-fowls  under  the  net  of  the 
grace  of  Christ.  And  she  did  the  work  to  purpose.  Many, 
and  many  more  of  the  Samaritans  believed  on  him  ;  ver. 
40-42.  The  heart  of  man,  though  set  on  sin,  will,  when 
it  comes  once  to  a  persuasion  that  God  is  willing  to  have 
mercy  upon  us,  incline  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ  for  life. 
Witness  those  turn-aways  from  God  that  you  also  read  of 
in  Jeremiah  ;  for  after  they  had  heard  three  or  four  times 
over,  that  God  had  mercy  for  backsliders,  they  broke  out, 
and  said,  "  Behold,  we  come  unto  thee,  for  thou  art  the 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  25 

Lord  our  God."  Or  as  those  in  Hosea  did,  "  For  in  thee 
the  fatherless  find  mercy  ;"  Jer.  iii.  22  ;  Hos.  xiv.  1-3. 

Mercy,  and  the  revelation  thereof,  is  the  only  antidote 
against  sin.  It  is  of  a  thawing  nature ;  it  will  loose  the 
heart  that  is  frozen  up  in  sin  ;  yea,  it  will  make  the  un- 
willing willing  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ  for  life. 

"Wherefore,  do  you  think,  was  it  that  Jesus  Christ  told 
the  adulterous  woman,  and  that  before  so  many  sinners, 
that  he  had  not  condemned  her,  but  to  allure  her,  with 
them  there  present,  to  hope  to  find  favour  at  his  hands  1 
(As  he  also  saith  in  another  place,  "  I  came  not  to  judge, 
but  to  save  the  world.")  For  might  they  not  thence  most 
rationally  conclude,  that  if  Jesus  Christ  had  rather  save 
than  damn  an  harlot,  there  was  encouragement  for  them  to 
come  to  him  for  mercy. 

I  heard  once  a  story  from  a  soldier,  who  with  his  com- 
pany had  laid  siege  against  a  fort,  that  so  long  as  the  be- 
sieged were  persuaded  their  foes  would  shew  them  no  fa- 
vour, they  fought  like  madmen  ;  but  when  they  saw  one 
of  their  fellows  taken,  and  received  to  favour,  they  all  came 
tumbling  down  from  their  fortress,  and  delivered  themselves 
into  their  enemies'  hands. 

I  am  persuaded,  did  men  believe  that  there  is  that  grace 
and  willingness  in  the  heart  of  Christ  to  save  sinners,  as 
the  word  imports  there  is,  they  would  come  tumbling  into 
his  arms :  but  Satan  has  blinded  their  minds,  that  they 
cannot  see  this  thing.  Howbeit,  the  Lord  Jesus  has,  as  I 
said,  that  others  might  take  heart  and  come  to  him,  given 
out  a  commandment,  that  mercy  should  in  the  first  place 
be  offered  to  the  biggest  sinners.  "  Begin,"  saith  he,  "  at 
Jerusalem."     And  thus  I  end  the  third  reason. 

Fourthly,  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  because  that  is  the  way, 
if  they  receive  it,  most  to  weaken  the  kingdom  of  Satan, 
and  to  keep  it  lowest  in  every  age  of  the  world.  The  big- 
gest sinners,  they  are  Satan's  colonels  and  captains,  the 
leaders  of  his  people,  and  they  that  most  stoutly  make 
head  against  the  Son  of  God.     Wherefore  let  these  first  be 


26  THE  JERUSALEM  SINGER  SAVED. 

conquered,  and  his  kingdom  will  be  weak.  When  Ishbo- 
sheth  had  lost  his  Abner,  his  kingdom  was  made  weak  : 
nor  did  he  sit  but  tottering  then  upon  his  throne.  So  when 
Satan  loseth  his  strong  men,  them  that  are  mighty  to  work 
iniquity,  and  dexterous  to  manage  others  in  the  same,  then 
is  his  kingdom  weak  ;  2  Sam.  iii.  Therefore,  I  say,  Christ 
doth  offer  mercy  in  the  first  place  to  such,  the  more  to 
weaken  his  kingdom.  Christ  Jesus  was  glad  to  see  Satan 
fall  like  lightning  from  heaven,  that  is,  suddenly  or  head- 
long ;  and  it  was,  surely,  by  casting  of  him  out  of  strong 
possessions,  and  by  recovering  of  some  notorious  sinners 
out  of  his  clutches  ;  Luke  x.  17-19. 

Samson,  when  he  would  pull  down  the  Philistines' 
temple,  took  hold  of  the  two  main  pillars  of  it,  and  break- 
ing them,  down  came  the  house.  Christ  came  to  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil,  and  to  destroy  by  converting  grace, 
as  well  as  by  redeeming  blood.  Now  sin  swarms,  and  lieth 
by  legions,  and  whole  armies,  in  the  souls  of  the  biggest 
sinners,  as  in  garrisons  :  wherefore  the  way,  the  most  di- 
rect way  to  destroy  it,  is  first  to  deal  with  such  sinners 
by  the  word  of  his  gospel,  and  by  the  merits  of  his  pas- 
sion. 

For  example,  though  I  shall  give  you  but  a  homely  one : 
suppose  a  family  to  be  troubled  with  vermin,  and  one  or 
two  of  the  family  to  be  in  chief  the  breeders,  the  way,  the 
quickest  way  to  clear  that  family,  or  at  least  to  weaken 
the  so  swarming  of  those  vermin,  is,  in  the  first  place,  to 
sweeten  the  skin,  head,  and  clothes  of  the  chief  breeders  ; 
and  then,  though  all  the  family  should  be  apt  to  breed 
them,  the  number  of  them,  and  so  the  greatness  of  that 
plague  there,  will  be  the  more  impaired. 

Why,  there  are  some  people  that  are  in  chief  the  devil's 
sin-breeders  in  the  towns  and  places  where  they  live.  The 
place,  town,  or  family  where  they  live,  must  needs  be  hor- 
ribly verminous,  as  it  were,  eaten  up  with  vermin.  Now, 
let  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  first  place,  cleanse  these  great 
breeders,  and  there  will  be  given  a  nip  to  those  swarms  of 
sins  that  used  to  be  committed  in  such  places  throughout 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  27 

the  town,  house,  or  family,  where  such  sin-breeding  persona 
used  to  be. 

I  speak  by  experience :  I  was  one  of  these  verminous  ones, 
one  of  these  great  sin-breeders ;  I  infected  all  the  -youth 
of  the  town  where  I  was  born,  with  all  manner  of  youth- 
ful vanities.  The  neighbours  counted  me  so  ;  my  practice 
proved  me  so  :  wherefore  Christ  Jesus  took  me  first,  and 
taking  me  first,  the  contagion  was  much  allayed  all  the 
town  over.  When  God  made  me  sigh,  they  would  hearken, 
and  enquiringly  say,  What  is  the  matter  with  John  ?  They 
also  gave  their  various  opinions  of  me  :  but,  as  I  said,  sin 
cooled,  and  failed,  as  to  his  full  career.  When  I  went  out 
to  seek  the  bread  of  life,  some  of  them  would  follow,  and 
the  rest  be  put  into  a  muse  at  home.  Yea,  almost  the  town, 
at  first,  at  times  would  go  out  to  hear  at  the  place  where  I 
found  good  ;  yea,  young  and  old  for  a  while  had  some  re- 
formation on  them  ;  also  some  of  them,  perceiving  that  God 
had  mercy  upon  me,  came  crying  to  him  for  mercy  too. 

But  what  need  I  give  you  an  instance  of  poor  I  ;  I  will 
come  to  Manasseh  the  king.  So  long  as  he  was  a  ring- 
leading  sinner,  the  great  idolater,  the  chief  for  devilism,  the 
whole  land  flowed  with  wickedness ;  for  he  "  made  them 
to  sin,"  and  do  worse  than  the  heathen  that  dwelt  round 
about  them,  or  that  was  cast  out  from  before  them  :  but 
when  God  converted  him,  the  whole  land  was  reformed. 
Down  went  the  groves,  the  idols,  and  altars  of  Baal,  and  up 
went  true  religion  in  much  of  the  power  and  purity  of  it. 
You  will  say,  The  king  reformed  by  power.  I  answer, 
doubtless,  and  by  example  too  ;  for  people  observe  their 
leaders  ;  as  their  fathers  did,  so  did  they  ;  2  Chron.  xxxiiL  2. 

This,  therefore,  is  another  reason  why  Jesus  would  have 
mercy  offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  be- 
cause that  is  the  best  way,  if  they  receive  it,  most  to 
weaken  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  and  to  keep  it  poor  and 
low. 

And  do  you  not  think  now,  that  if  God  would  but  take 
hold  of  the  hearts  of  some  of  the  most  notorious  in  your 
town,  in  your  family,  or  country,  that  this  thing  would  be 


28  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED, 

verified  before  your  faces  ?  It  would,  it  would,  to  the  joy 
of  you  that  are  godly,  to  the  making  of  hell  to  sigh,  to  the 
great  suppressing  of  sin,  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  the  joy  oi 
the  angels  of  God.  And  ministers  should,  therefore,  that 
this  work  might  go  on,  take  advantages  to  persuade  with 
the  biggest  sinners  to  come  into  Christ,  according  to  my 
text,  and  their  commissions  ;  "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

Fifthly,  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy  offered,  in  the 
first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  because  such,  when  con- 
verted, are  usually  the  best  helps  in  the  church  against 
temptations,  and  fittest  for  the  support  of  the  feeble-minded 
there.  Hence,  usually,  you  have  some  such  in  the  first 
plantation  of  churches,  or  quickly  upon  it.  Churches 
would  do  but  sorrily,  if  Christ  Jesus  did  not  put  such  con- 
verts among  them  :  they  are  the  monuments  and  mirrors 
of  mercy.  The  very  sight  of  such  a  sinner  in  God's  house, 
yea,  the  very  thought  of  him,  where  the  sight  of  him  can- 
not be  had,  is  ofttimes  greatly  for  the  help  of  the  faith  of 
the  feeble. 

"  When  the  churches  (said  Paul)  that  were  in  Judea, 
heard  this  concerning  me,  that  he  which  persecuted  them 
in  time  past,  now  preached  the  faith  which  once  he  de- 
stroyed, they  glorified  God  in  me ;"  Gal.  i.  20-24. 

"  Glorified  God."  How  is  that  ?  Why,  they  praised 
him,  and  took  courage  to  believe  the  more  in  the  mercy 
of  God  ;  for  that  he  had  had  mercy  on  such  a  great  sinner 
as  he.  They  glorified  God  "  in  me  ;"  they  wondered  that 
grace  should  be  so  rich,  as  to  take  hold  of  such  a  wretch 
as  I  was  ;  and  for  my  sake  believed  in  Christ  the  more. 

There  are  two  things  that  great  sinners  are  acquainted 
with.,  when  they  come  to  divulge  them  to  the  saints,  that 
are  a  great  relief  to  their  faith. 

1.  The  contests  that  they  usually  have  with  the  devil 
at  their  parting  with  him. 

2.  Their  knowledge  of  his  secrets  in  his  workings. 

For  the  first,  The  biggest  sinners  have  usually  great 
contests  with  the  devil  at  their  partings  ;  and  this  is  an 
help  to  saints  :  for  ordinary  saints  find  afterwards  what 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  20 

the  vile  ones  find  at  first,  but  when  at  the  opening  of 
hearts,  the  one  finds  himself  to  he  as  the  other,  the  one  is  a 
comfort  to  the  other.  The  lesser  sort  of  sinners  find  but 
little  of  this,  till  after  they  have  bam  some  time  in  pro- 
fession ;  but  the  vile  man  meets  with  his  at  the  beginning. 
Wherefore  he,  when  the  other  is  doivn,  is  ready  to  tell 
that  he  has  met  with  the  same  before  ;  for,  I  say,  he  has 
had  it  before.  Satan  is  loath  to  part  with  a  gn-at  sinner. 
What  my  true  servant  (quoth  he),  my  old  servant,  wilt 
thou  forsake  me  now  ?  Having  so  often  sold  thyself  to  me 
to  work  wickedness,  wilt  thou  forsake  me  now  1  Thou 
horrible  wretch,  dost  not  know,  that  thou  hast  sinned  thy- 
self beyond  the  reach  of  grace,  and  dost  think  to  find  mercy 
now  ?  Art  not  thou  a  murderer,  a  thief,  a  harlot,  a  witch, 
a  sinner  of  the  greatest  size,  and  dost  thou  look  for  mercy 
now  ?  Dost  thou  think  that  Christ  will  foul  his  fingers 
with  thee  ? 

'Tis  enough  to  make  angels  blush,  saith  Satan,  to  see 
so  vile  a  one  knock  at  heaven-gates  for  mercy,  and  wilt 
thou  be  so  abominably  bold  to  do  it  1  Thus  Satan  dealt 
with  me,  says  the  great  sinner,  when  at  first  I  came  to 
Jesus  Christ.  And  what  did  you  reply  ?  saith  the  tempted. 
Why,  I  granted  the  whole  charge  to  be  true,  says  the 
other.  And  what,  did  you  despair,  or  how  ?  No,  saith 
he,  I  said,  I  am  Magdalen,  I  am  Zaccheus,  I  am  the  thief, 
I  am  the  harlot,  I  am  the  publican,  I  am  the  prodigal,  and 
one  of  Christ's  murderers  :  yea,  worse  than  any  of  these  ; 
and  yet  God  was  so  far  off  from  rejecting  of  me  (as  I  found 
afterwards),  that  there  was  music  and  dancing  in  his  house 
fur  me,  and  for  joy  that  I  was  come  home  unto  him.  0 
blessed  be  God  for  grace  (says  the  other),  for  then  I  hope 
there  is  favour  for  me.  Yea,  as  I  told  you,  such  a  one  is  a 
continual  spectacle  in  the  church,  for  every  one  to  behold 
God's  grace  and  wonder  by. 

Secondly,  And  as  for  the  secrets  of  Satan,  such  as  are  sug- 
gestions to  question  the  being  of  God,  the  truth  of  his  word, 
and  to  be  annoyed  with  devilish  blasphemies ;  none  more 
acquainted  with  these  than  the  biggest  sinners  at  their  con- 


30  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

version  ;  wherefore  thus  also  they  are  preptired  to  be  helps 
in  the  church  to  relieve  and  comfort  the  other. 

I  might  also  here  tell  you  of  the  contests  and  battles 
that  such  are  engaged  in,  wherein  they  find  the  besettings 
of  Satan,  above  any  other  of  the  saints.  At  which  times 
Satan  assaults  the  soul  with  darkness,  fears,  frightful 
thoughts  of  apparitions ;  now  they  sweat,  pant,  cry  out, 
and  struggle  for  life. 

The  angels  now  come  down  to  behold  the  sight,  and  re- 
joice to  see  a  bit  of  dust  and  ashes  to  overcome  principali- 
ties and  powers,  and  mightj  and  dominions.  But,  as  I  said, 
when  these  come  a  little  to  be  settled,  they  are  prepared  for 
helping  others,  and  are  great  comforts  unto  them.  Their 
great  sins  give  great  encouragement  to  the  devil  to  assault 
them  ;  and  by  these  temptations  Christ  takes  advantage  to 
make  them  the  more  helpful  to  the  churches. 

The  biggest  sinner,  when  he  is  converted,  and  comes 
into  the  church,  says  to  them  all,  by  his  very  coining  in, 
Behold  me,  all  you  that  are  men  and  women  of  a  low  and 
timorous  spirit,  you  whose  hearts  are  narrow,  for  that  you 
never  had  the  advantage  to  know,  because  your  sins  are 
few,  the  largeness  of  the  grace  of  God.  Behold,  I  say,  in 
me,  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace  !  I  am  a  pattern  set 
forth  before  your  faces,  on  whom  you  may  look  and  take 
heart.  This,  I  say,  the  great  sinner  can  say,  to  the  ex- 
ceeding comfort  of  all  the  rest. 

Wherefore,  as  I  have  hinted  before,  when  God  intends  to 
stock  a  place  with  saints,  and  to  make  that  place  excel- 
lently to  flourish  with  the  riches  of  his  grace,  he  usually 
begins  with  the  conversion  of  some  of  the  most  notorious 
thereabouts,  and  lays  them  as  an  example  to  allure  others, 
and  to  build  up  when  they  are  converted. 

It  was  Paul  that  must  go  to  the  Gentiles,  because  Paul 
was  the  most  outrageous  of  all  the  apostles,  in  the  time  of 
his  unregeneracy.  Yea,  Peter  must  be  he,  that  after  his 
horrible  fall,  was  thought  fittest,  when  recovered  again,  to 
comfort  and  strengthen  his  brethren.  See  Luke  xxii. 
31,  32. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  31 

Some  must  be  pillars  in  God's  house  ;  and  if  they  be 
pillars  of  cedar,  they  must  stand  while  they  are  stout  and 
sturdy  sticks  in  the  forest,  before  they  are  cut  down,  and 
planted  or  placed  there. 

No  man,  when  he  buildeth  his  house,  makes  the  prin- 
cipal parts  thereof  of  weak  or  feeble  timber  ;  for  how  could 
such  bear  up  the  rest  ?  but  of  great  and  able  wood.  Christ 
Jesus  also  goeth  this  way  to  work  ;  he  makes  of  the  big- 
gest sinners  bearers  and  supporters  to  the  rest.  This  then, 
may  serve  for  another  reason,  why  Jesus  Christ  gives  out 
in  commandment,  that  mercy  should,  in  the  first  place,  be 
offered  to  the  biggest  sinners  :  because  such,  when  con- 
verted, are  usually  the  best  helps  in  the  church  against  temp- 
tations, and  fittest  for  the  support  of  the  feeble-minded  there. 

Sixthly,  Another  reason  why  Jesus  Christ  would  have 
mercy  offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  is, 
because  they,  when  converted,  are  apt  to  love  him  most. 

This  agrees  both  with  Scripture  and  reason.  Scripture  says 
so  :  "  To  whom  much  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  much. 
To  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little;"  Luke  vii. 
47.  Reason  says  so  :  for  as  it  would  be  the  unreasonablest 
thing  in  the  world  to  render  hatred  for  love,  and  contempt 
for  forgiveness  ;  so  it  would  be  as  ridiculous  to  think,  that 
the  reception  of  a  little  kindness  should  lay  the  same  obli- 
gations upon  the  heart  to  love,  as  the  reception  of  a  great 
deal.  I  would  not  disparage  the  love  of  Christ ;  I  know 
the  least  drachm  of  it,  when  it  reaches  to  forgiveness,  is 
great  above  all  the  world  ;  but  comparatively,  there  are 
greater  extensions  of  the  love  of  Christ  to  one  than  to 
another.  He  that  has  most  sin,  if  forgiven,  is  partaker  of 
the  greatest  love,  of  the  greatest  forgiveness. 

I  know  also,  that  there  are  some,  that  from  this  very 
doctrine  say,  "  Let  us  do  evil  that  good  may  come  ;"  and 
that  turn  the  grace  of  our  God  into  lasciviousness.  But  I 
speak  not  of  these  ;  these  will  neither  be  ruled  by  grace  nor 
reason.  Grace  would  teach  them,  if  they  know  it,  to  deny 
ungodly  courses ;  and  so  would  reason  too,  if  it  could  truly 
sense  the  love  of  God  ;  Titus  ii.  11, 12  ;  Rom.  xi.  1. 


32  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

Doth  it  look  like  what  hath  any  coherence  with  reason 
or  mercy,  for  a  man  to  abuse  his  friend  ?  Because  Christ 
died  for  men,  shall  I  therefore  spit  in  his  face  ?  The  bread 
and  water  that  was  given  by  Elisha  to  his  enemies,  that 
came  into  the  land  of  Israel  to  take  him,  had  so  much  in- 
fluence upon  their  minds,  though  heathens,  that  they  re- 
turned to  their  homes  without  hurting  him  :  yea,  it  kept 
them  from  coming  again  in  a  hostile  manner  into  the  coasts 
of  Israel ;  2  Kings  vi.  19-23. 

But  to  forbear  to  illustrate  till  anon.  One  reason  why 
Christ  Jesus  shews  mercy  to  sinners,  is,  that  he  might  ob- 
tain their  love,  that  he  may  remove  their  base  affections 
from  base  objects  to  himself.  Now,  if  he  loves  to  be  loved 
a  little,  he  loves  to  be  loved  much ;  but  there  is  not  any 
that  are  capable  of  loving  much,  save  those  that  have  much 
forgiven  them.  Hence  it  is  said  of  Paul,  that  he  laboured 
more  than  them  all ;  to  wit,  with  a  labour  of  love,  because 
he  had  been  by  sin  more  vile  against  Christ  than  they  all ; 
1  Cor.  xv.  He  it  was  that  persecuted  the  church  of  God, 
and  wasted  it ;  Gal.  i.  13.  He  of  them  all  was  the  only 
raving  bedlam  against  the  saints  :  "  And  being  exceeding 
mad,"  says  he,  "  against  them,  I  persecuted  them,  even  to 
strange  cities;"  Acts  xxvi.  11. 

This  raving  bedlam,  that  once  was  so,  is  he  that  now 
says,  I  laboured  more  than  them  all,  more  for  Christ  than 
them  all. 

But  Paul,  what  moved  thee  thus  to  do  1  The  love  of 
Christ,  says  he.  It  was  not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  that 
was  with  me.  As  who  should  say,  0  grace  !  It  was  such 
grace  to  save  me  !  It  was  such  marvellous  grace  for  God 
to  look  down  from  heaven  upon  me,  and  that  secured  me 
from  the  wrath  to  come,  that  I  am  captivated  with  the 
sense  of  the  riches  of  it.  Hence  I  act,  hence  I  labour  ;  for 
how  can  I  otherwise  do,  since  God  not  only  separated  me 
from  my  sins  and  companions,  but  separated  all  the  powers 
of  my  soul  and  body  to  his  service  ?  I  am  therefore  prompted 
on  by  this  exceeding  love  to  labour  as  I  have  done ;  yet  not 
I,  but  the  grace  of  God  with  me. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  33 

Oh  !  I  shall  never  forget  his  love,  nor  the  circumstances 
under  which  I  was,  when  his  love  laid  hold  upon  me.  I 
was  going  to  Damascus  with  letters  from  the  high-priest, 
to  make  havock  of  God's  people  there,  as  I  had  made  havock 
of  them  in  other  places.  These  bloody  letters  were  not  im- 
posed upon  me.  I  went  to  the  high-priest  and  desired  them 
of  him  ;  Acts  ix.  1,  2  ;  and  yet  he  saved  me  !  I  was  one 
of  the  men,  of  the  chief  men,  that  had  a  hand  in  the  blood 
of  his  martyr  Stephen  ;  yet  he  had  mercy  on  me  !  When 
I  was  at  Damascus,  I  stunk  so  horribly  like  a  blood-sucker, 
that  I  became  a  terror  to  all  thereabout.  Yea,  Ananias 
(good  man)  made  intercession  to  my  Lord  against  me  ;  yet 
he  would  have  mercy  upon  me,  yea,  joined  mercy  to  mercy, 
until  he  had  made  me  a  monument  of  grace  !  He  made  a 
saint  of  me,  and  persuaded  me  that  my  transgressions  were 
forgiven  me. 

When  I  began  to  preach,  those  that  heard  me  were 
amazed,  and  said,  "  Is  not  this  he  that  destroyed  them 
that  called  on  this  name  in  Jerusalem,  and  came  hither 
for  that  intent,  that  he  might  bring  them  bound  to  the 
high-priest  ?"  Hell  doth  know  that  I  was  a  sinner  ;  hea- 
ven doth  know  that  I  was  a  sinner ;  the  world  also  knows 
that  I  was  a  sinner,  a  sinner  of  the  greatest  size  ;  but  I  ob- 
tained mercy  ;  1  Tim  i.  15,  16. 

Shall  not  this  lay  obligation  upon  me  1  Is  not  love  of 
the  greatest  force  to  oblige  1  Is  it  not  strong  as  death, 
cruel  as  the  grave,  and  hotter  than  the  coals  of  juniper  ? 
Hath  it  not  a  most  vehement  flame  1  can  the  waters  quench 
it  ?  can  the  floods  drown  it  ?  I  am  under  the  force  of  it, 
and  this  is  my  continual  cry,  What  shall  I  render  to  the 
Lord  for  all  the  benefits  which  he  has  bestowed  upon  me  i 

Ay,  Paul !  this  is  something  ;  thou  speakest  like  a  man, 
like  a  man  affected,  and  carried  away  with  the  love  and 
grace  of  God.  Now,  this  sense,  and  this  affection,  and  this 
labour,  giveth  to  Chri-st  the  love  that  he  looks  for.  But  he 
might  have  converted  twenty  little  sinners,  and  yet  not 
found,  for  grace  bestowed,  so  much  love  in  them  all. 

I  wonder  how  far  a  man  might  go  among  the  converted 


34  THE  JERUSALEM  IINN^E  SAVED. 

sinners  of  the  smaller  size,  before  one  could  find  one  that  so 
much  as  looked  any  thing  this  wayward.  Where  is  he 
that  is  thus  under  pangs  of  love  for  the  grace  bestowed 
upon  him  by  Jesus  Christ  ?  Excepting  only  some  few, 
you  may  walk  to  the  world's  end,  and  find  none.  But,  aa 
I  said,  some  there  are,  and  so  there  has  been  in  every  age 
of  the  church,  great  sinners,  that  have  had  much  forgiven 
them  ;  and  they  love  much  upon  this  account. 

Jesus  Christ  therefore  knows  what  he  doth,  when  he 
lays  hold  on  the  hearts  of  sinners  of  the  biggest  size.  He 
knows  that  such  an  one  will  love  more  than  many  that 
have  not  sinned  half  their  sins. 

T  will  tell  you  a  story  that  I  have  read  of  Martha  and 
Mary  ;  the  name  of  the  book  I  have  forgot ;  I  mean  of  the 
book  in  which  I  found  the  relation ;  but  the  thing  was 
thus : 

Martha,  saith  my  author,  was  a  very  holy  woman,  much 
like  Lazarus  her  brother  ;  but  Mary  was  a  loose  and  wan- 
ton creature ;  Martha  did  seldom  miss  good  sermons  and 
lectures,  when  she  could  come  at  them  in  Jerusalem  ;  but 
Mary  would  frequent  the  house  of  sports,  and  the  company 
of  the  vilest  of  men  for  lust :  And  though  Martha  had 
often  desired  that  her  sister  would  go  with  her  to  hear  her 
preachers,  yea,  had  often  entreated  her  with  tears  to  do  it, 
yet  could  she  never  prevail ;  for  still  Mary  would  make 
her  excuse,  or  reject  her  with  disdain  for  her  zeal  and  pre- 
ciseness  in  religion. 

After  Martha  had  waited  long,  tried  many  ways  to 
bring  her  sister  to  good,  and  all  proved  ineffectual,  at  last 
she  comes  upon  her  thus  :  "  Sister,"  quoth  she,  "  I  pray 
thee  go  with  me  to  the  temple  to-day,  to  hear  one  preach 
a  sermon."  "  What  kind  of  preacher  is  he  V  said  she. 
Martha  replied,  "  It  is  one  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;  he  is  the 
handsomest  man  that  ever  you  saw  with  your  eyes.  Oh  ! 
he  shines  in  beauty,  and  is  a  most  excellent  preacher." 

Now,  what  does  Mary,  after  a  little  pause,  but  goes 
up  into  her  chamber,  and  with  her  pins  and  her  clouts, 
decks  up  herself  as  fine  as  her  fingers  could  make  her. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  35 

This  done,  away  she  goes,  not  with  her  sister  Martha,  hut 
as  much  unobserved  as  she  could,  to  the  sermon,  or  rather 
to  see  the  preacher. 

The  hour  and  preacher  being  come,  and  she  having  ob- 
served whereabout  the  preacher  would  stand,  goes  and  sets 
herself  so  in  the  temple,  that  she  might  be  sure  to  have  the 
full  view  of  this  excellent  person.  So  he  comes  in,  and  she 
looks,  and  the  first  glimpse  of  his  person  pleased  her.  Wei* 
Jesus  addresseth  himself  to  his  sermon,  and  she  looks  ear- 
nestly on  him. 

Now,  at  that  time,  saith  my  author,  Jesus  preached  about 
the  lost  sheep,  the  lost  groat,  and  the  prodigal  child.  And 
when  he  came  to  shew  what  care  the  shepherd  took  for  one 
lost  sheep,  and  how  the  woman  swept  to  find  her  piece 
which  was  lost,  and  what  joy  there  was  at  their  finding, 
she  began  to  be  taken  by  the  ears,  and  forgot  what  she 
came  about,  musing  what  the  preacher  would  make  of  it. 
But  when  he  came  to  the  application,  and  shewed,  that  by 
the  lost  sheep  was  meant  a  great  sinner  ;  by  the  shepherd's 
care,  was  meant  God's  love  for  great  sinners  ;  and  that  by 
the  joy  of  the  neighbours,  was  shewed  what  joy  there  was 
among  the  angels  in  heaven  over  one  great  sinner  that  re- 
penteth  ;  she  began  to  be  taken  by  the  heart.  And  as  he 
spake  these  last  words,  she  thought  he  pitched  his  innocent 
eyes  just  upon  her,  and  looked  as  if  he  spake  what  was 
now  said  to  her :  wherefore  her  heart  began  to  tremble, 
being  shaken  with  affection  and  fear ;  then  her  eyes  ran 
down  with  tears  apace  ;  wherefore  she  was  forced  to  hide 
her  face  with  her  handkerchief,  and  so  sat  sobbing  and 
crying  all  the  rest  of  the  sermon. 

Sermon  being  done,  up  she  gets,  and  away  she  goes,  and 
withal  inquired  where  this  Jesus  the  preacher  dined  that 
-lay  ?  and  one  told  her,  At  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee. 
So  away  goes  she,  first  to  her  chamber,  and  there  strips 
herself  of  her  wanton  attire  :  then  falls  upon  her  knees  to 
ask  God  forgiveness  for  all  her  wicked  life.  This  done,  in 
a  modest  dress  she  goes  to  Simon's  house,  where  she  finds 
Jesus  sat  at  dinner.     So  she  gets  behind  him,  and  weeps, 


36  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

and  drops  her  tears  upon  his  feet  like  rain,  and  washes 
them,  and  wipes  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head.  She  also 
kissed  his  feet  with  her  lips,  and  anointed  them  with  oint- 
ment. When  Simon  the  Pharisee  perceived  what  the 
woman  did,  and  being  ignorant  of  what  it  was  to  be  for- 
given much  (for  he  never  was  forgiven  more  than  fifty 
pence),  he  began  to  think  within  himself,  that  he  had  been 
iflistaken  about  Jesus  Christ,  because  he  suffered  such  a 
sinner  as  this  woman  was,  to  touch  him.  Surely,  quoth 
he,  this  man,  if  he  were  a  prophet,  would  not  let  this 
woman  come  near  him,  for  she  is  a  town-sinner  (so  igno- 
rant are  all  self-righteous  men  of  the  way  of  Christ  with 
sinners.)  But  lest  Mary  should  be  discouraged  with  some 
clownish  carriage  of  this  Pharisee  and  so  desert  her  good 
beginnings,  and  her  new  steps  which  she  now  had  begun 
to  take  towards  eternal  life,  Jesus  began  thus  with  Simon  : 
"  Simon,"  saith  he,  "  I  have  somewhat  to  say  unto  thee. 
And  he  saith,  Master,  say  on.  There  was,"  said  Jesus, 
"  a  certain  creditor  had  two  debtors  ;  the  one  owed 
five  hundred  pence,  and  the  other  fifty.  And  when  they 
had  nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly  forgave  them  both.  Tell 
me  therefore  which  of  them  will  love  him  most  1  Simon 
answered  and  said,  I  suppose  that  he  to  whom  he  forgave 
most.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  rightly  judged. 
And  he  turned  to  the  woman,  and  said  unto  Simon,  Seest 
thou  this  woman  1  I  entered  into  thy  house,  thou  gavest 
me  no  water  for  my  feet ;  but  she  hath  washed  my  feet 
with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head. 
Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss :  but  this  woman,  since  the  time 
I  came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  My  head  with 
oil  thou  didst  not  anoint,  but  this  woman  hath  anointed 
my  feet  with  ointment.  Wherefore  I  say  unto  thee,  Her 
sins  which  are  many,  are  forgiven,  for  she  loved  much  ; 
but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little.  And 
he  said  unto  her,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  ;"  Luke  vii.  36-50. 
Thus  you  have  the  story.  If  I  come  short  in  any  cir- 
cumstance, I  beg  pardon  of  those  that  can  correct  me.  It 
is  three  or  four  and  twenty  years  since  I  saw  the  book  : 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  37 

yet  T  have,  as  far  as  my  memory  will  admit,  given  you  the 
relation  of  the  matter.  However  Luke,  as  you  see,  doth 
here  present  you  with  the  substance  of  the  whole. 

Alas  !  Christ  Jesus  has  but  little  thanks  for  the  saving 
of  little  sinners.  "  To  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same 
loveth  little."  He  gets  not  water  for  his  feet,  by  his  sav- 
ing of  such  sinners.  There  are  abundance  of  dry-eyed 
Christians  in  the  world,  and  abundance  of  dry-eyed  duties 
too  ;  duties  that  never  were  wetted  with,  the  tears  of  con- 
trition and  repentance,  nor  ever  sweetened  with  the  great 
sinner's  box  of  ointment.  And  the  reason  is,  such  sinners 
have  not  great  sins  to  be  saved  from  ;  or  if  they  have,  they 
look  upon  them  in  the  diminishing  glass  of  the  holy  law 
of  God.  But  I  rather  believe,  that  the  professors  of  our 
days  want  a  due  sense  of  what  they  are  ;  for,  verily,  for  the 
generality  of  them,  both  before  and  since  conversion,  they 
have  been  sinners  of  a  lusty  size.  But  if  their  eyes  be 
holden,  if  convictions  are  not  shewn,  if  their  knowledge  of 
their  sins  is  but  like  to  the  eye-sight  in  twilight ;  the  heart 
cannot  be  affected  with  that  grace  that  has  laid  hold  on 
the  man  ;  and  so  Christ  Jesus  sows  much,  and  has  little 
coming  in. 

Wherefore  his  way  is  ofttimes  to  step  out  of  the  way,  to 
Jericho,  to  Samaria,  to  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  to 
the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  and  also  to  Mount  Calvary, 
that  he  may  lay  hold  of  such  kind  of  sinners  as  will  love 
him  to  his  liking  ;  Luke  xix.  1  -1 1 ;  John  iv.  3-11;  Mark 
v.  1-21 ;  Matt.  xv.  21-29  ;  Luke  xxiii.  33-44. 

But  thus  much  for  the  sixth  reason,  why  Christ  Jesus 
would  have  mercy  offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest 
sinners,  to  wit,  because  such  sinners,  when  converted,  are 
apt  to  love  him  most.  The  Jerusalem  sinners  were  they 
that  outstripped,  when  they  were  converted,  in  some  things, 
all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles.  "  They  were  of  one  heart, 
and  of  one  soul,  neither  said  any  of  them,  that  aught  of 
the  things  that  they  possessed  was  their  own."  "  Neither 
was  there  any  among  them  that  lacked  :  for  as  many  as 
were  possessors  of  lands  or  houses  sold  them,  and  brought 


38  THE  JERUSALEM  SIXXER  SAVED. 

the  price  of  the  things  that  were  sold,  and  laid  them  down 
at  the  apostles'  feet,"  &c ;  Acts  iv.32-35.  Now,  shew  me  such 
another  pattern  if  you  can.  But  why  did  these  do  thus  ? 
Oh  !  they  were  Jerusalem  sinners.  These  were  the  men 
that  but  a  little  before  had  killed  the  Prince  of  Life  ;  and 
those  to  whom  he  did,  that  notwithstanding,  send  the  first 
offer  of  grace  and  mercy.  And  the  sense  of  this  took  them 
up  betwixt  the  earth  and  the  heaven,  and  carried  them  on 
in  such  ways  and  methods  as  could  never  be  trodden  by 
any  since.  They  talk  of  the  church  of  Rome,  and  set  her 
in  her  primitive  state,  as  a  pattern  and  mother  of  churches  ; 
when  the  truth  is,  they  were  the  Jerusalem  sinners,  when 
converts,  that  out-did  all  the  churches  that  ever  were. 

Seventhly,  Christ  Jesus  would  have  mercy  offered,  in 
the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  because  grace  when 
it  is  received  by  such,  finds  matter  to  kindle  upon  more 
freely  than  it  finds  in  other  sinners.  Great  sinners  are 
like  the  dry  wood,  or  like  great  candles,  which  burn  best 
and  shine  with  biggest  light.  I  lay  not  this  down,  as  I 
did  those  reasons  before,  to  shew,  that  when  great  sinners 
are  converted,  they  will  be  encouragement  to  others,  though 
that  is  true  ;  but  to  shew  that  Christ  has  a  delight  to  see 
grace,  the  grace  we  receive,  to  shine.  We  love  to  see  things 
that  bear  a  good  gloss  ;  yea,  we  choose  to  buy  such  kind 
of  matter  to  work  upon,  as  will,  if  wrought  up  to  what 
we  intend,  cast  that  lustre  that  we  desire. 

Candles  that  burn  not  bright,  we  like  not :  wood  that  is 
green  will  rather  smother,  and  sputter,  and  smoke,  and 
crack,  and  flounce,  than  cast  a  brave  light  and  a  pleasant 
heat  :  wherefore  great  folks  care  not  much,  not  so  much 
for  such  kind  of  things,  as  for  them  that  will  better  answer 
their  ends. 

Hence  Christ  desires  the  biggest  sinner  ;  in  him  there  is 
matter  to  work  by,  to  wit,  a  great  deal  of  sin  ;  for  as  by 
the  tallow  of  the  candle,  the  fire  takes  occasion  to  bum  the 
brighter  ;  so  by  the  sin  of  the  soul,  grace  takes  occasion  to 
shine  the  clearer.  Little  candles  shine  but  little,  for  there 
wanteth  matter  for  the  fire  to  work  uuon  :    but  in  the 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  39 

great  sinner,  here  is  more  matter  for  grace  to  work  by. 
Faith  shines,  when  it  worketh  towards  Christ,  through  the 
sides  of  many  and  great  transgressors,  and  so  does  love,  for 
that  much  is  forgiven.  And  what  matter  can  be  found  in 
the  soul  for  humility  to  work  by  so  well,  as  by  a  sight 
that  I  have  been  and  am  an  abominable  sinner  ?  And  the 
same  is  to  be  said  of  patience,  meekness,  gentleness,  self- 
denial,  or  of  any  other  grace.  Grace  takes  occasion  by  the 
vileness  of  the  man  to  shine  the  more  ;  even  as  by  the  rug- 
gedness  of  a  very  strong  distemper  or  disease,  the  virtue  of 
the  medicine  is  best  made  manifest.  Where  sin  abounds, 
grace  much  more  abounds  ;  Rom.  v.  20.  A  black  string 
makes  the  neck  look  whiter ;  great  sins  make  grace  burn 
clear.  Some  say,  when  grace  and  a  good  nature  meet  to- 
gether, they  do  make  shining  Christians  :  but  I  say,  when 
grace  and  a  great  sinner  meet,  and  when  grace  shall  sub- 
due that  great  sinner  to  itself,  and  shall  operate  after  its 
kind  in  the  soul  of  that  great  sinner,  then  we  have  a  shining 
Christian  ;  witness  all  those  of  whom  mention  was  made 
before. 

Abraham  was  among  the  idolaters  when  in  the  land  of 
Assyria,  and  served  idols  with  his  kindred  on  the  other 
side  of  the  flood  ;  Jos.  xxiv.  2  ;  Gen.  xi.  31.  But  who, 
when  called,  was  there  in  the  world,  in  whom  grace  shone 
so  bright  as  in  him  ? 

The  Thessalonians  were  idolaters  before  the  word  of  God 
came  to  them  ;  but  when  they  had  received  it,  they  became 
examples  to  all  that  did  believe  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia  ; 
1  Thess.  i.  6-10. 

God  the  Father,  and  Jesus  Christ  his  Son,  are  for  hav- 
ing things  seen,  for  having  the  word  of  life  held  forth . 
They  light  not  a  candle  that  it  might  be  put  under  a 
bushel,  or  under  a  bed,  but  on  a  candlestick,  that  all  that 
come  in  may  see  the  light;  Matt.  v.  15;  Mark  iv.  21  ; 
Luke  viii.  16  ;  chap.  xi.  33. 

And,  I  say,  as  I  said  before,  in  whom  is  light  like  so  to 
shine,  as  in  the  souls  of  great  sinners  1 

When  the  Jewish  Pharisees  dallied  with  the  gospel, 
Christ  threatened  to  take  it  from  them,  and  to  give  it  to 


40  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

the  barbarous  heathens  and  idolaters.  Why  so  ?  For  they, 
saith  he,  will  bring  forth  the  fruits  thereof  in  their  season : 
"  Therefore  say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be 
taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the 
fruits  thereof  ;"  Matt.  xxi.  41-43. 

I  have  often  marvelled  at  our  youth,  and  said  in  my 
heart,  What  should  be  the  reason  that  they  should  be  so 
generally  at  this  day  debauched  as  they  are '(  For  they 
are  now  profane  to  amazement ;  and  sometimes  I  have 
thought  one  thing,  and  sometimes  another ;  that  is,  why 
God  should  suffer  it  so  to  be.  At  last  I  have  thought  of 
this  :  How  if  the  God,  whose  ways  are  past  finding  out, 
should  suffer  it  so  to  be  now,  that  he  might  make  of  some 
of  them  the  more  glorious  saints  hereafter.  I  know  sin  is  of 
the  devil,  but  it  cannot  work  in  the  world  without  per- 
mission :  and  if  it  happens  to  be  as  I  have  thought,  it  will 
not  be  the  first  time  that  God  the  Lord  hath  caught  Satan 
in  his  own  design.  For  my  part,  I  believe  that  the  time 
is  at  hand,  that  we  shall  see  better  saints  in  the  world  than 
has  been  seen  in  it  this  many  a  day.  And  this  vileness, 
that  at  present  does  so  much  swallow  up  our  youth,  is  one 
cause  of  my  thinking  so  :  for  out  of  them,  for  from  among 
them,  when  God  sets  to  his  hand,  as  of  old,  you  shall  see 
what  penitent  ones,  what  trembling  ones,  and  what  ad- 
mirers of  grace,  will  be  found  to  profess  the  gospel  to  the 
glory  of  God  by  Christ. 

Alas  !  we  are  a  company  of  worn-out  Christians,  our 
moon  is  in  the  wane  ;  we  are  much  more  black  than  white, 
more  dark  than  light ;  we  shine  but  a  little  ;  grace  in  the 
most  of  us  is  decayed.  But  I  say,  when  they  of  these  de- 
bauched ones  that  are  to  be  saved  shall  be  brought  in, 
when  these  that  look  more  like  devils  than  men  shall  be 
converted  to  Christ  (and  I  believe  several  of  them  will), 
then  will  Christ  be  exalted,  grace  adored,  the  word  prized, 
Zion's  path  better  trodden,  and  men  in  the  pursuit  of  their 
own  salvation,  to  the  amazement  of  them  that  are  left 
behind. 

Just  before  Christ  came  into  the  flesh,  the  world  was 
degenerated  as  it  is  now  :   the  generality  of  the  men  in 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  41 

Jerusalem,  were  become  either  high  and  famous  for  hypo- 
crisy, or  filthy  base  in  their  lives.  The  devil  also  was  broke 
loose  in  a  hideous  manner,  and  had  taken  possession  of 
many  :  yea^  I  believe  that  there  was  never  generation  be- 
fore nor  since,  that  cuuld  produce  so  many  possessed  with 
devils,  deformed,  lame,  blind,  and  infected  with  monstrous 
diseases,  as  that  generation  could.  But  what  was  the  reason 
thereof,  I  mean  the  reason  from  God  ?  Why  one  (and  we 
may  sum  up  more  in  that  answer  that  Christ  gave  to  his 
disciples  concerning  him  that  was  born  blind)  was,  that 
the  works  of  God  might  be  made  manifest  in  them,  and 
that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glorified  thereby,  John  ix. 
2,  3  ;  chap.  xi.  4. 

Now  if  these  devils  and  diseases,  as  they  possessed  men 
then,  were  to  make  way  and  work  for  an  approaching 
Christ  in  person,  and  fur  the  declaring  of  his  power,  why 
may  we  not  think  that  now,  even  now  also,  he  is  ready  to 
come  by  his  Spirit  in  the  gospel  to  heal  many  of  the  de- 
baucheries of  our  age  1  I  cannot  believe  that  grace  will 
take  them  all,  for  there  are  but  few  that  are  saved  ;  but 
yet  it  will  take  some,  even  some  of  the  worst  of  men,  and 
make  blessed  ones  of  them.  But,  0  how  these  ringleaders 
in  vice  will  then  shine  in  virtue  !  They  will  be  the  very 
pillars  in  churches,  they  will  be  as  an  ensign  in  the  land. 
"  The  Lord  their  God  shall  save  them  in  that  day  as  the 
flock  of  his  people  :  for  they  shall  be  as  the  stones  of  a 
crown,  lifted  up  as  an  ensign  upon  his  land;"  Zech.  ix.  16. 
But  who  are  these  1  Even  idolatrous  Ephraim,  and  back- 
sliding Judah  ;  ver.  13. 

I  know  there  is  ground  to  fear,  that  the  iniquity  of  this 
generation  will  be  pursued  with  heavy  judgments :  but 
that  will  not  hinder  what  we  have  supposed.  God  took  him 
a  glorious  church  out  of  bloody  Jerusalem,  yea,  out  of  the 
chief  of  the  sinners  there,  and  left  the  rest  to  be  taken  and 
spoiled,  and  sold,  thirty  for  a  penny,  in  the  nations  where 
they  were  captives.  The  gospel  working  gloriously  in  a 
place,  to  the  seizing  upon  many  of  the  ringleading  sinners 
thereof,    promiseth   no   security   to   the   rest,   but  rather 


42  TIIE  JERUSALEM  SINKEB  SAVED. 

threateneth  thorn  with  the  heaviest  and  sum-test  judgments  ; 
as  in  the  instance  now  given,  we  have  a  full  demonstration  ; 
but  in  defending,  the  Lord  will  defend  his  people  ;  and  in 
saving,  he  will  save  his  inheritance.  . 

Nor  does  this  speak  any  great  comfort  to  a  decayed  and 
backsliding  sort  of  Christians  ;  for  the  next  time  God  rides 
post  with  his  gospel,  he  will  leave  such  Christians  behind 
him.  But  I  say,  Christ  is  resolved  to  set  up  his  light  in 
the  world  ;  yea,  he  is  delighted  to  see  his  graces  shine  ; 
and  therefore  he  commands  that  his  gospel  should  to  that 
end  be  offered,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  for 
by  great  sins  it  shineth  most ;  therefore  he  saith,  "  Begin 
at  Jerusalem." 

Eighthly,  and  lastly,  Christ  Jesus  will  have  mercy  to  be 
offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  for  that  by 
that  means  the  impenitent  that  are  left  behind  will  be  at 
the  judgment  the  more  left  without  excuse. 

God's  word  has  two  edges  ;  it  can  cut  back-stroke  and 
fore-stroke  :  if  it  doth  thee  no  good,  it  will  do  thee  hurt  ; 
it  is  the  savour  of  life  unto  life  to  those  that  receive  it, 
but  of  death  unto  death  to  them  that  refuse  it ;  2  Cor.  ii. 
15,  16.  But  this  is  not  all ;  the  tender  of  grace  to  the  big- 
gest sinners  in  the  first  place,  will  not  only  leave  the  rest, 
or  those  that  refuse  it,  in  a  deplorable  condition,  but  will 
also  stop  their  mouths,  and  cut  off  all  pretence  to  excuse 
at  that  day.  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them," 
saith  Christ,  "  they  had  not  had  sin  ;  but  now  they  have 
no  cloak  for  their  sin,"  for  their  sin  of  persevering  in  im- 
penitence ;  Job  xv.  22. 

But  what  did  he  speak  to  them  1  Why,  even  that 
which  I  have  told  you ;  to  wit,  That  he  has  in  special  a 
delight  in  saving  the  biggest  sinners.  He  spake  this  in  the 
way  of  his  doctrine  ;  he  spake  this  in  the  way  of  his  prac- 
tice, even  to  the  pouring  out  of'his  last  breath  before  them  ; 
Luke  xxiii.  34. 

Now,  since  this  is  so,  what  can  the  condemned  at  the 
judgment  say  for  themselves,  why  sentence  of  death  should 
not  be  passed  upon  them  ?     I  say,   what  excuse  can  they 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  43 

make  for  themselves,  when  they  shall  be  asked  why  they 
did  not  in  the  day  of  salvation  come  to  Christ  to  be  saved  / 
Will  they  have  ground  to  say  to  the  Lord,  Thou  wast  only 
for  saving  of  little  sinners  ;  and  therefore  because  they  were 
great  ones,  they  durst  not  come  unto  him  ?  or  that  thou 
hadst  not  compassion  for  the  biggest  sinners,  therefore  I 
died  in  despair  1  Will  these  be  excuses  for  them,  as  the 
case  now  standeth  with  them  ?  Is  there  not  every  where 
in  God's  book  a  flat  contradiction  to  this,  in  multitudes  of 
promises,  of  invitations,  of  examples,  and  the  like  ?  Alas, 
alas  !  there  will  then  be  there  millions  of  souls  to  confute 
this  plea  ;  ready,  I  say,  to  stand  up,  and  say,  0  !  deceived 
world,  heaven  swarms  with  such,  as  were,  when  they  were 
in  the  world,  to  the  full  as  bad  as  you. 

Now,  this  will  kill  all  plea  or  excuse,  why  they  should 
perish  in  their  sins  ;  yea,  the  text  says,  they  shall  see  them 
there.  "  There  shall  be  weeping,  when  you  shall  see  Abra- 
ham, and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  and  you  yourselves  thrust  out.  And  they 
shall  come  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and  from  the 
north,  and  from  the  south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the  king- 
dom of  God  ;"  Luke  xiii.  28,  29.  Out  of  which  company 
it  is  easy  to  pick  such  as  sometimes  were  as  bad  people  as 
any  that  now  breathe  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  What  think 
you  of  the  first  man,  by  whose  sins  there  are  millions  now 
in  hell  \  And  so  I  may  say,  What  think  you  of  ten  thou- 
sand more  besides  \ 

But  if  the  world  will  not  stifle  and  gag  them  up  (I  speak 
now  for  amplification's  sake),  the  view  of  those  who  are 
saved  shall. 

There  comes  an  incestuous  person  to  the  bar,  and  pleads, 
That  the  bigness  of  his  sins  was  a  bar  to  his  receiving  the 
promise.  But  will  not  his  mouth  be  stopped  as  to  that, 
when  Lot  and  the  incestuous  Corinthian  shall  be  set  before 
him  ;  Gen.  xix.  33-37  ;  1  Cor.  v.  1,  2. 

There  comes  a  thief,  and  says,  Lord,  my  sin  of  theft, 
I  thought,  was  such  as  could  not  be  pardoned  by  thee  ! 
But  when  he  shall  see  the  thief  tha*  was  saved  on  the  cross 


44  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

stand  by,  as  clothed  with  beauteous  glory,  what  farther 
can  he  he  able  to  object  ?  Yea,  the  Lord  will  produce  ten 
thousand  of  his  saints  at  his  coming,  who  shall  after  this 
manner  execute  judgment  upon  all,  and  so  convince  all 
that  are  ungodly  among  them,  of  all  their  hard  speeches 
which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him.  And 
these  are  hard  speeches  against  him,  to  say  that  he  was 
not  able  or  willing  to  save  men,  because  of  the  great- 
ness of  their  sins,  or  to  say  that  they  were  discouraged 
by  his  word  from  repentance,  because  of  the  heinous- 
ness  of  their  offences. 

These  things,  I  say,  shall  then  be  confuted  :  he  comes 
with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints  to  confute  them,  and  to 
stop  their  mouths  from  making  objections  against  their  own 
eternal  damnation. 

Here  is  Adam,  the  destroyer  of  the  world  ;  here  is  Lot, 
that  lay  with  both  his  daughters  ;  here  is  Abraham,  that 
was  sometime  an  idolater,  and  Jacob,  that  was  a  supplanter, 
and  Reuben,  that  lay  with  his  father's  concubine,  and 
Judah  that  lay  with  his  daughter-in-law,  and  Levi  and 
Simeon  that  wickedly  slew  the  Shechemites,  and  Aaron 
that  made  an  idol  to  be  worshipped,  and  that  proclaimed  a 
religious  feast  unto  it.  Here  is  also  Rachab  the  harlot,  and 
Bathsheba  that  bare  a  bastard  to  David.  Here  is  Solomon 
that  great  backslider,  and  Manasseh  that  man  of  blood  and 
a  witch.  Time  would  fail  me  to  tell  you  of  the  woman  of 
Canaan's  daughter,  of  Mary  Magdalen,  of  Matthew  the 
publican,  and  of  Gideon  and  Sampson,  and  many  thousands 
more. 

Alas  !  alas  !  I  say,  what  will  these  sinners  do,  that  have, 
through  their  unbelief,  eclipsed  the  glorious  largeness  of 
the  mercy  of  God,  and  gave  way  to  despair  of  salvation, 
because  of  the  bigness  of  their  sins  ? 

For  all  these,  though  now  glorious  saints  in  light,  were 
sometimes  sinners  of  the  biggest  size,  who  had  sins  that 
were  of  a  notorious  hue  ;  yet  now,  I  say,  they  are  in  their 
shining  and  heavenly  robes  before  the  throne  of  God  and 
of  the  Lamb,  blessing  for  ever  and  ever  that  Son  of  God  for 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNEIt  SAVED.  45 

their  salvation,  who  died  for  them  upon  the  tree  ;  admiring 
that  ever  it  should  come  into  their  hearts  once  to  think  of 
coming  to  God  hy  Christ ;  but  above  all,  blessing  God  for 
granting  of  them  light  to  see  those  encouragements  in  his 
testament ;  without  which,  without  doubt,  they  had  been 
daunted  and  sunk  down  under  guilt  of  sin  and  despair,  as 
their  fellow-sinners  have  done. 

But  now  they  also  are  witnesses  for  God,  and  for  his 
grace  against  an  unbelieving  world  ;  for,  as  I  said,  they 
shall  come  to  convince  the  world  of  their  speeches,  their 
hard  and  unbelieving  words,  that  they  have  spoken  con- 
cerning the  mercy  of  God,  and  the  merits  of  the  passion  of 
his  blessed  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

But  will  it  not,  think  you,  strangely  put  to  silence  all 
such  thoughts,  and  words,  and  reasonings  of  the  ungodly 
before  the  bar  of  God  1  Doubtless  it  will ;  yea  and  will 
send  them  away  from  his  presence  also,  with  the  greatest 
guilt  that  possibly  can  fasten  upon  the  consciences  of  men. 

For  what  will  sting  like  this  1 — I  have,  through  mine 
own  foolish,  narrow,  unworthy,  undervaluing  thoughts,  of 
the  love  and  ability  of  Christ  to  save  me,  brought  myself 
to  everlasting  ruin.  It  is  true,  I  was  a  horrible  sinner ; 
not  one  in  a  hundred  did  live  so  vile  a  life  as  I :  but  this 
should  not  have  kept  me  from  closing  with  Jesus  Christ : 
I  see  now  that  there  are  abundance  in  glory  that  once  were 
as  bad  as  I  have  been  :  but  they  were  saved  by  faith,  and 
I  am  damned  by  unbelief. 

Wretch  that  I  am  !  why  did  not  I  give  glory  to  the  re- 
deeming blood  of  Jesus  1  Why  did  I  not  humbly  cast  my 
soul  at  his  blessed  footstool  for  mercy  1  Why  did  I  judge 
of  his  ability  to  save  me  by  the  voice  of  my  shallow  reason, 
and  the  voice  of  a  guilty  conscience  1  Why  betook  not  I 
myself  to  the  holy  word  of  God  1  Why  did  I  not  read 
and  pray  that  I  might  understand,  since  now  I  perceive 
that  God  said  then,  he  giveth  liberally  to  them  that  pray, 
and  upbraideth  not;  Jam.  i.  5. 

It  is  rational  to  think,  that  by  such  cogitations  as  these 
the  unbelieving  world  will  be  torn  in  pieces  befure  the 


46  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

judgment  of  Christ ;  especially  those  that  have  lived  where 
they  did  or  might  have  heard  the  gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God.  Oh  !  that  saying,  "  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for 
Sodom  at  the  judgment  than  for  them,"  will  be  better  un- 
derstood.    See  Luke  x.  8-12. 

This  reason,  therefore,  standeth  fast ;  namely,  that  Christ, 
by  offering  mercy  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners 
now,  will  stop  all  mouths  of  the  impenitent  at  the  day  of 
judgment,  and  cut  off  all  excuse  that  shall  be  attempted  to 
be  made  (from  the  thoughts  of  the  greatness  of  their  sins) 
why  they  came  not  to  him. 

I  have  often  thought  of  the  day  of  judgment,  and  how 
God  will  deal  with  sinners  at  that  day ;  and  I  believe  it 
will  be  managed  with  that  sweetness,  with  that  equitable- 
ness,  with  that  excellent  righteousness,  as  to  every  sin,  and 
circumstance,  and  aggravation  thereof,  that  men  that  are 
damned,  before  the  judgment  is  over  shall  receive  such  con- 
viction of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God  upon  them,  and  of 
their  deserts  of  hell-fire,  that  they  shall  in  themselves  con- 
clude that  there  is  all  the  reason  in  the  world  that  they 
should  be  shut  out  of  heaven,  and  go  to  hell-fire  :  "  These 
shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment ;"  Matt.  xxv.  46. 

Only  this  will  tear  them,  that  they  have  missed  of  mercy 
and  glory,  and  obtained  everlasting  damnation  through 
their  unbelief ;  but  it  will  tear  but  themselves,  but  their 
own  souls  ;  they  will  gnash  upon  themselves  ;  for  in  that 
mercy  was  offered  to  the  chief  of  them  in  the  first  place, 
and  yet  they  were  damned  for  rejecting  of  it ;  they  were 
damned  for  forsaking  what  they  had  a  sort  of  propriety  in  ; 
for  forsaking  their  own  mercy. 

And  thus  much  for  the  reasons.  I  will  conclude  with  a 
word  of  application. 

THE  APPLICATION. 

First,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the  first 
place  to  the  biggest  sinners  ?  then  this  shews  us  how  to 
make  a  right  judgment  of  the  heart  of  Christ  to  men.     Tn- 


TIIE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  47 

deed  we  hare  advantage  to  guess  at  the  goodness  of  his 
heart,  by  many  things  ;  as  by  his  taking  our  nature  upon 
him,  his  dying  for  us,  his  sending  his  word  and  ministers 
to  us,  and  all  that  we  might  be  saved.  But  this  of  be- 
ginning to  offer  mercy  to  Jerusalem,  is  that  which  heightens 
all  the  rest ;  for  this  doth  not  only  confirm  to  us,  that  love 
was  the  cause  of  his  dying  for  us,  but  it  shews  us  yet  more 
the  depth  of  that  love.  He  might  have  died  for  us,  and  yet 
have  extended  the  benefit  of  his  death  to  a  few,  as  one 
might  call  them,  of  the  best  conditioned  sinners,  to  those 
who,  though  they  were  weak,  and  could  not  but  sin,  yet 
made  not  a  trade  of  sinning  ;  to  those  that  sinned  not  lavish- 
ingly.  There  are  in  the  world,  as  one  may  call  them,  the 
moderate  sinners  ;  the  sinners  that  mix  righteousness  with 
their  pollutions  ;  the  sinners  that  though  they  be  sinners, 
do  what  on  their  part  lies  (some  that  are  blind  would  think 
so)  that  they  might  be  saved.  I  say,  it  had  been  love,  great 
love,  if  he  had  died  for  none  but  such,  and  sent  his  love  to 
such  :  but  that  he  should  send  out  conditions  of  peace  to 
the  biggest  of  sinners  ;  yea,  that  they  should  be  offered  to 
them  first  of  all ;  (for  so  he  means  when  he  says,  "  Begin 
at  Jerusalem  ;")  this  is  wonderful  !  this  shews  his  heart 
to  purpose,  as  also  the  heart  of  God  his  Father,  who  sent 
him  to  do  thus. 

There  is  nothing  more  incident  to  men  that  are  awake 
in  their  souls,  than  to  have  wrong  thoughts  of  God  ; 
thoughts  that  are  narrow,  and  that  pinch  and  pen  up  his 
mercy  to  scanty  and  beggarly  conclusions,  and  rigid  legal 
conditions  ;  supposing  that  it  is  rude,  and  an  intrenching 
upon  his  majesty,  to  come  ourselves,  or  to  invite  others, 
until  we  have  scraped  and  washed,  and  rubbed  off  as  much 
of  our  dirt  from  us  as  we  think  is  convenient,  to  make  us 
somewhat  orderly  and  handsome  in  his  sight.  Such  never 
knew  what  these  words  meant,  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem  :" 
yea,  such  in  their  hearts  have  compared  the  Father  and 
his  Son  to  niggardly  rich  men,  whose  money  comes  from 
them  like  drops  of  blood.  True,  says  such,  God  has  mercy, 
but  he  is  loath  to  part  with  it ;  you  must  please  him  well, 


48  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

if  you  get  any  from  him  ;  he  is  not  so  free  as  man}  sup- 
pose, nor  is  he  so  willing  to  save  as  some  pretended  gos- 
pellers imagine.  But  I  ask  such,  if  the  Father  and  Son 
be  not  unspeakably  free  to  shew  mercy,  why  was  this 
clause  put  into  our  commission  to  preach  the  gospel  ] 
Yea,  why  did  he  say,  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem  :"  for  when 
men,  through  the  weakness  of  their  wits,  have  attempted 
to  shew  other  reasons  why  they  should  have  the  first 
proffer  of  mercy ;  yet  I  can  prove  (by  many  undeniable 
reasons)  that  they  of  Jerusalem  (to  whom  the  apostles 
made  the  first  offer,  according  as  they  were  commanded) 
were  the  biggest  sinners  that  ever  did  breathe  upon  the 
face  of  God's  earth,  (set  the  unpardonable  sin  aside),  upon 
which  my  doctrine  stands  like  a  rock,  that  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God  would  have  mercy  in  the  first  place  offered  to  the 
biggest  sinners  :  and  if  this  doth  not  shew  the  heart  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son  to  be  infinitely  free  in  bestowing  for- 
giveness of  sins,  I  confess  myself  mistaken. 

Neither  is  there,  set  this  aside,  another  argument  like  it, 
to  shew  us  the  willingness  of  Christ  to  save  sinners  ;  for, 
as  was  said  before,  all  the  rest  of  the  signs  of  Christ's  mer- 
cifulness might  have  been  limited  to  sinners  that  are  so 
and  so  qualified  ;  but  when  he  says,  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem," 
the  line  is  stretched  out  to  the  utmost :  no  man  can  ima- 
gine beyond  it ;  and  it  is  folly  here  to  pinch  and  pare,  to 
narrow,  and  seek  to  bring  it  within  scanty  bounds  ;  for 
he  plainly  saith,  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem,"  the  biggest  sinner 
is  the  biggest  sinner  ;  the  biggest  is  the  Jerusalem  sinner. 

It  is  true,  he  saith,  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
must  go  together,  but  yet  remission  is  sent  to  the  chief,  the 
Jerusalem  sinner ;  nor  doth  repentance  lessen  at  all  the 
Jerusalem  sinner's  crimes  ;  it  diminisheth  none  of  his  sins, 
nor  causes  that  there  should  be  so  much  as  half  a  one  the 
fewer  :  it  only  puts  a  stop  to  the  Jerusalem  sinner's  course, 
and  makes  him  willing  to  be  saved  freely  by  grace  ;  and 
for  time  to  come  to  be  governed  by  that  blessed  word  that 
has  brought  the  tidings  of  good  things  to  him. 

Besides,  no  man  shews  himself  willing  to  be  saved  that 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  49 

repenteth  not  of  his  deeds  ;  for  he  that  goes  on  still  in  his 
trespasses,  declares  that  he  is  resolved  to  pursue  his  own 
damnation  further. 

Learn  then  to  judge  of  the  largeness  of  God's  heart,  and 
of  the  heart  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  word  ;  judge 
not  thereof  by  feeling,  nor  by  the  reports  of  thy  conscience ; 
conscience  is  oftentimes  here  befooled  and  made  to  go 
quite  beside  the  word.  It  was  judging  without  the  word 
that  made  David  say,  I  am  cast  off  from  God's  eyes,  and 
shall  perish  one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul ;  Psalm  xxxi.  22  ; 
1  Sam.  xxvii.  1. 

The  word  had  told  him  another  thing  ;  namely,  that  he 
should  be  king  in  his  stead.  Our  text  says  also,  that  Jesus 
Christ  bids  preachers,  in  their  preaching  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins,  begin  first  at  Jerusalem,  thereby  de- 
claring most  truly  the  infinite  largeness  of  the  merciful 
heart  of  God  and  his  Son,  to  the  sinful  children  of  men. 

Judge  thou,  I  say,  therefore,  of  the  goodness  of  the  heart 
of  God  and  his  Son,  by  this  text,  and  by  others  of  the 
same  import ;  so  shalt  thou  not  dishonour  the  grace  of  God, 
nor  needlessly  fright  thyself,  nor  give  away  thy  faith,  nor 
gratify  the  devil,  nor  lose  the  benefit  of  his  word.  I  speak 
now  to  weak  believers. 

.  Secondly ',  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  to  the  Jerusalem  sinners  ? 
then,  by  this  also,  you  must  learn  to  judge  of  the  sufficiency 
of  the  merits  of  Christ ;  not  that  the  merits  of  Christ  can 
be  comprehended,  for  that  they  are  beyond  the  conceptions 
of  the  whole  world,  being  called  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ ;  but  yet  they  may  be  apprehended  to  a  considerable 
degree.  Now,  the  way  to  apprehend  them  most,  is,  to  con- 
sider what  offers,  after  his  resurrection,  he  makes  of  his 
grace  to  sinners  ;  for  to  be  sure  he  will  not  offer  beyond 
the  virtue  of  his  merits  ;  because,  as  grace  is  the  cause  of 
his  merits,  so  his  merits  are  the  basis  and  bounds  upon  and 
by  which  his  grace  stands  good,  and  is  let  out  to  sinners. 
Doth  he  then  command  that  his  mercy  should  be  offered 
in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  1     It  declares,  that 


50  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

there  is  sufficiency  in  his  blood  to  save  the  biggest  sinners. 
The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  And 
again,  "  Be  it  known  unto  you  therefore,  men  and  breth- 
ren, that  through  this  man  (this  man's  merits)  is  preached 
unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins :  and  by  him  all  that  be- 
lieve are  justified  from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not 
be  justified  by  the  law  of  Moses ;"  Acts  xiii.  38. 

Observe  then  thy  rule  to  make  judgment  of  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  blessed  merits  of  thy  Saviour.  If  lie  had  not 
been  able  to  have  reconciled  the  biggest  sinners  to  his  Fa- 
ther by  his  blood,  he  would  not  have  sent  to  them,  have 
sent  to  them  in  the  first  place,  the  doctrine  of  remission  of 
sins ;  for  remission  of  sins  is  through  faith  in  his  blood. 
We  are  justified  freely  by  the  grace  of  God,  through  the 
redemption  that  is  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  Upon  the  square, 
as  I  may  call  it,  of  the  worthiness  of  the  blood  of  Christ, 
grace  acts,  and  offers  forgiveness  of  sin  to  men  ;  Eph.  i.  7  ; 
chap.  ii.  13,  14  ;  Col.  i.  20-22. 

Hence,  therefore,  we  must  gather,  that  the  blood  of 
Christ  is  of  infinite  value,  for  that  he  offereth  mercy  to 
the  biggest  of  sinners.  Nay,  further,  since  he  offereth  mercy 
in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  considering  also, 
that  this  first  act  of  his  is  that  which  the  world  will  take 
notice  of,  and  expect  it  should  be  continued  unto  the  end. 
Also  it  is  a  disparagement  to  a  man  that  seeks  his  own 
glory  in  what  he  undertakes,  to  do  that  for  a  sport,  which 
he  cannot  continue  and  hold  out  in.  This  is  our  Lord's 
own  argument,  "  He  began  to  build,"  saith  he,  "  but  was 
not  aide  to  finish  ;"  Luke  xiv.  28. 

Shouldst  thou  hear  a  man  say,  I  am  resolved  to  be  kind 
to  the  poor,  and  should  begin  with  giving  handfiils  of 
guineas,  you  would  conclude,  that  either  he  is  wonderful 
rich,  or  must  straiten  his  hand,  or  will  soon  be  at  the  bot- 
tom of  his  riches.  Why,  this  is  the  case  :  Christ,  at  his 
resurrection,  gave  it  out  that  he  would  be  good  to  the 
world  ;  and  first  sends  to  the  biggest  sinners,  with  an  in- 
tent to  have  mercy  on  them.  Now,  the  biggest  sinners 
cannot  be  saved   but  by  abundance  of  grace  ;  it  is  not  a 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINXEK  SAVED.  51 

little  that  will  save  great  sinners  ;  Rom.  v.  17.  And  I  say 
again,  since  the  Lord  Jesus  mounts  thus  high  at  the  first, 
and  sends  to  the  Jerusalem  sinners,  that  they  may  come 
first  to  partake  of  his  mercy,  it  follows,  that  either  he  has 
unsearchable  riches  of  grace  and  worth  in  himself,  or  else 
lie  must  straiten  his  hand,  or  his  grace  and  merits  will  be 
spent  before  the  world  is  at  an  end.  But  let  it  be  believed, 
as  surely  as  spoken,  he  is  still  as  full  as  ever.  He  is  not  a 
jot  the  poorer  for  all  the  forgivenesses  that  he  has  given 
away  to  great  sinners.  Also  he  is  still  as  free  as  at  first ; 
for  he  never  yet  called  back  this  word,  Begin  at  the  Jeru- 
salem sinners.  And,  as  I  said  before,  since  his  grace  is 
extended  according  to  the  worth  of  his  merits,  I  conclude, 
that  there  is  the  same  virtue  in  his  merits  to  save  now,  as 
there  was  at  the  very  beginning. 

Oh  !  the  riches  of  the  grace  of  Christ !  Oh  !  the  riches 
of  the  blood  of  Christ ! 

Thirdly.  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  then  here  is  encourage- 
ment for  you  that  think,  for  wicked  hearts  and  lives,  you 
have  not  your  fellows  in  the  world,  yet  to  come  to  him. 

There  is  a  people  that  therefore  fear  lest  they  should  be 
rejected  of  Jesus  Christ,  because  of  the  greatness  of  their 
sins  ;  when,  as  you  see  here,  such  are  sent  to,  sent  to  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  come  to  him  for  mercy,  "  Begin  at  Jeru- 
salem." Never  did  one  thing  answer  another  more  fitly  in 
this  world,  than  this  text  fitteth  such  kind  of  sinners.  As 
face  answereth  face  in  a  glass,  so  this  text  answereth  the 
necessities  of  such  sinners.  What  can  a  man  say  more,  but 
that  he  stands  in  the  rank  of  the  biggest  sinners  ?  let  him 
stretch  himself  whither  he  can  and  think  of  himself  to 
the  utmost,  he  can  but  conclude  himself  to  be  one  of  the 
biggest  sinners.  And  what  then  ?  Why  the  text  meets  him 
in  the  very  face,  and  saith,  Christ  offereth  mercy  to  the 
biggest  sinners,  to  the  very  Jerusalem  sinners.  What  more 
can  be  objected  ?  Nay,  he  doth  not  only  offer  to  such  his 
mercy,  but  to  them  it  is  commanded  to  be  offered  in  the 
first  place  ;  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem."    Preach  repentance  and 


52  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

remission  of  sins  among  all  nations.  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem 
Is  not  here  encouragement  for  those  that  think,  for  wicked 
hearts  and  lives,  they  have  not  their  fellows  in  the  world  ? 

Object.      But  I  have  a  heart  as  hard  as  a  rock. 

Answ.  "Well,  but  this  doth  but  prove  thee  a  bigger 
sinner. 

Object.  But  my  heart  continually  frets  against  the  Lord. 

Ansio.  Well,  this  doth  but  prove  thee  a  bigger  sinner. 

Object.   But  I  have  been  desperate  in  sinful  courses. 

Answ.  Well,  stand  thou  with  the  number  of  the  biggest 
sinners. 

Object.  But  my  grey  head  is  found  in  the  way  of  wick- 
edness. 

Answ.  Well,  thou  art  in  the  rank  of  the  biggest  sinners. 

Object.  But  I  have  not  only  a  base  heart,  but  I  have 
lived  a  debauched  life. 

Answ.  Stand  thou  also  among  those  that  are  called  the 
biggest  sinners.  And  what  then  1  Why  the  text  swoops 
you  all ;  you  cannot  object  yourselves  beyond  the  text.  It 
has  a  particular  message  to  the  biggest  sinners.  I  say,  it 
swoops  you  all. 

Object.   But  I  am  a  reprobate. 

Answ.  Now  thou  talkest  like  a  fool,  and  of  that  thou 
understandest  not :  no  sin,  but  the  sin  of  final  impenitence, 
can  prove  a  man  a  reprobate  ;  and  I  am  sure  thou  hast  not 
arrived  as  yet  unto  that ;  therefore  thou  understandest  not 
what  thou  sayest,  and  makest  groundless  conclusions  against 
thyself.  Say  thou  art  a  sinner,  and  I  will  hold  with  thee ; 
say  thou  art  a  great  sinner,  and  I  will  say  so  too ;  yea,  say 
thou  art  one  of  the  biggest  sinners,  and  spare  not ;  for  the 
text  yet  is  beyond  thee,  is  yet  betwixt  hell  and  thee ;  "  Be- 
gin at  Jerusalem,"  has  yet  a  smile  upon  thee  ;  and  thou 
talkest  as  if  thou  wast  a  reprobate,  and  that  the  greatness 
of  thy  sins  do  prove  thee  so  to  be,  when  yet  they  of  Jeru- 
salem were  not  such,  whose  sins,  I  dare  say,  were  such, 
both  for  bigness  and  heinousness,  as  thou  art  incapable  of 
committing  beyond  them  ;  unless  now,  after  thou  hast  re- 
ceived conviction  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  only  Saviour 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  ,03 

of  the  world,  thou  shouldst  wickedly  and  despitefully  turn 
thyself  from  him,  and  conclude  he  is  not  to  be  trusted  to 
for  life,  and  so  crucify  him  for  a  cheat  afresh.  This,  I 
must  confess,  will  bring  a  man  under  the  black  rod,  and 
set  him  in  danger  of  eternal  damnation ;  Heb.  vi.  6 :  chap.  x. 
29.  Tins  is  trampling  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  count- 
ing his  blood  an  unholy  thing.  This  did  they  of  Jerusalem  ; 
but  they  did  it  ignorantly  in  unbelief,  and  so  were  yet  ca- 
pable of  mercy :  but'  to  do  this  against  professed  light,  and 
to  stand  to  it,  puts  a  man  beyond  the  text  indeed  ;  Acts  iii. 
14-17;  ITim.  i.  13. 

But  I  say,  what  is  this  to  him  that  would  fain  be  saved 
by  Christ  ?  His  sins  did,  as  to  greatness,  never  yet  reach 
to  the  nature  of  the  sins  that  the  sinners  intended  by  the 
text,  had  made  themselves  guilty  of.  He  that  would  be 
saved  by  Christ,  has  an  honourable  esteem  of  him  ;  but  they 
of  Jerusalem  preferred  a  murderer  before  him  ;  but  as  for 
him,  they  cried,  Away,  away  with  him,  it  is  not  fit  that 
lie  should  live.  Perhaps  thou  wilt  object,  That  thyself  hast 
a  thousand  times  preferred  a  stinking  lust  before  him  :  I 
answer,  Be  it  so  ;  it  is  but  what  is  common  to  men  to 
do  ;  nor  doth  the  Lord  Jesus  make  such  a  foolish  life  a  bar 
to  thee,  to  forbid  thy  coming  to  him,  or  a  bond  to  his  grace, 
that  it  might  be  kept  from  thee ;  but  admits  of  thy  repent- 
ance, and  offereth  himself  unto  thee  freely,  as  thou  stand- 
est  among  the  Jerusalem  sinners. 

Take  therefore  encouragement,  man,  mercy  is,  by  the 
text,  held  forth  to  the  biggest  sinners  ;  yea,  put  thyself  in- 
to the  number  of  the  worst,  by  reckoning  that  thou  mayst 
be  one  of  the  first,  and  mayst  not  be  put  off  till  the  biggest 
sinners  are  served ;  for  the  biggest  sinners  are  first  invited ; 
consequently,  if  they  come,  they  are  like  to  be  the  first  that 
shall  be  served.  It  was  so  with  Jerusalem ;  Jerusalem  sin- 
ners were  they  that  were  first  invited,  and  those  of  them 
that  came  first  (and  there  came  three  thousand  of  them  the 
first  day  they  were  invited  ;  how  many  came  afterwards 
none  can  tell),  they  were  first  served. 

Put  in  thy  name,  man,  among  the  biggest,  lest  thou  art 


64  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

made  to  wait  till  they  are  served.  You  have  some  men  that 
think  themselves  very  cunning,  because  they  put  up  their 
names  in  their  prayers  among  them  that  feign  it,  saying, 
God,  I  thank  thee  I  am  not  so  had  as  the  worst.  But  be- 
lieve it,  if  they  be  saved  at  all,  they  shall  be  saved  in  the 
last  place.  The  first  in  their  own  eyes  shall  be  served  last ; 
and  the  last  or  worst  shall  be  first.  The  text  insinuates  it, 
"  Begin  at  Jerusalem  ;"  and  reason  backs  it,  for  they  have 
most  need.  Behold  ye,  therefore,  how  God's  ways  are  above 
ours  ;  we  are  for  serving  the  worst  last,  God  is  for  serving 
the  worst  first.  The  man  at  the  pool,  that  to  my  thinking 
was  longest  in  his  disease,  and  most  helpless  as  to  his  cure, 
was  first  healed ;  yea,  he  only  was  healed ;  for  we  read  that 
Christ  healed  him,  but  we  read  not  then  that  he  healed  one 
more  there  !  John  v.  1-10. 

Wherefore,  if  thou  wouldst  soonest  be  served,  put  in  thy 
name  among  the  very  worst  of  sinners.  Say,  when  thou 
art  upon  thy  knees,  Lord,  here  is  a  Jerusalem  sinner  !  a 
sinner  of  the  biggest  size !  one  whose  burden  is  of  the  great- 
est bulk  and  heaviest  weight !  one  that  cannot  stand  long 
without  sinking  into  hell,  without  thy  supporting  hand  ! 
"  Be  not  thou  far  from  me,  0  Lord  !  0  my  strength,  haste 
thou  to  help  me  !" 

I  say,  put  in  thy  name  with  Magdalen,  with  Manasseh, 
that  thou  mayst  fare  as  the  Magdalen  and  the  Manasseh 
sinners  do.  The  man  in  the  gospel  made  the  desperate  con- 
dition of  his  child  an  argument  with  Christ  to  haste  his 
cure :  "  Sir,  come  down,"  saith  he,  "  ere  my  child  die ;"  John 
iv.  49,  and  Christ  regarded  his  haste,  saying,  "  Go  thy  way  ; 
thy  son  liveth  ;"  ver.  50.  Haste  requires  haste.  David 
was  for  speed  ;  "Deliver  me  speedily ;"  "  Hear  me  speedily  ;" 
"  Answer  me  speedily ;"  Psalm  xxxi.  2 ;  lxix.  17  ;  cii.  2.  But 
why  speedily  ?  I  am  in  "  the  net ;"  "  I  am  in  trouble  ;" 
"  My  days  are  consumed  like  smoke  ;"  Psalm  xxxi.  4 ; 
lxix.  17 ;  cii.  3.  Deep  calleth  unto  deep,  necessity  calls  for 
help  ;  great  necessity  for  present  help. 

Wherefore,  I  say,  be  ruled  by  me  in  this  matter  ;  feign 
not  thyself  another  man,  if  thou  hast  been  a  filthy  sinner, 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINKER  SAVED.  66 

but  go  in  thy  colours  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  put  thyself  among 
the  most  vile,  and  let  him  alone  to  put  thee  among  the 
children ;  Jer.  iii.  19.  Confess  all  that  thou  knowest  of  thy- 
self ;  I  know  thou  wilt  find  it  hard  work  to  do  thus  ;  espe- 
cially if  thy  mind  be  legal ;  but  do  it,  lest  thou  stay  and 
be  deferred  with  the  little  sinners,  until  the  great  ones  have 
had  their  alms.  What  do  you  think  David  intended  when 
he  said,  his  wounds  stunk  and  were  corrupted,  but  to  hasten 
God  to  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  not  to  defer  his  cure  ? 
"  Lord,"  says  he,  "  I  am  troubled ;  I  am  bowed  down  greatly ; 
I  go  mourning  all  the  day  long."  "  I  am  feeble  and  sore 
broken,  by  reason  of  the  disquietness  of  my  heart :"  Psalm 
xxxviii.  3-8. 

David  knew  what  he  did  by  all  this  ;  he  knew  that  his 
making  the  worst  of  his  case,  was  the  way  to  speedy  help, 
and  that  a  feigning  and  dissembling  the  matter  with  God, 
was  the  next  way  to  a  demur  as  to  his  forgiveness. 

I  have  one  thing  more  to  offer  for  thy  encouragement, 
who  deemest  thyself  one  of  the  biggest  sinners ;  and  that 
is,  thou  art  as  it  were  called  by  thy  name,  in  the  first  place, 
to  come  in  for  mercy.  Thou  man  of  Jerusalem,  hearken  to 
thy  call ;  men  do  so  in  courts  of  judicature,  and  presently 
cry  out,  Here,  Sir  ;  and  then  they  shoulder  and  crowd,  and 
say,  Pray  give  way,  I  am  called  into  the  court.  "Why,  this 
is  thy  case,  thou  great,  thou  Jerusalem  sinner  ;  be  of  good 
cheer,  he  calleth  thee  ;  Mark  x.  46-49.  Why  sitttest  thou 
still  ?  arise  :  why  standest  thou  still  1  come  man,  thy  call 
should  give  thee  authority  to  come.  "  Begin  at  Jerusalem," 
is  thy  call  and  authority  to  come  ;  wherefore  up  and  shoul- 
der it,  man ;  say,  Stand  away,  devil,  Christ  calls  me  ;  stand 
away  unbelief,  Christ  calls  me  ;  stand  away  all  ye  my  dis- 
couraging apprehensions,  for  my  Saviour  calls  me  to  him 
to  receive  of  his  mercy.  Men  will  do  thus,  as  I  said,  in 
courts  below ;  and  why  shouldst  not  thou  approach  thus  to 
the  court  above  1  The  Jerusalem  sinner  is  first  in  thought, 
first  in  commission,  first  in  the  record  of  names ;  and  there- 
fore should  give  attendance  with  expectation,  that  he  is 
first  to  receive  mercy  of  God. 


Ob  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

Is  not  this  an  encouragement  to  the  biggest  sinners  to 
make  their  application  to  Christ  for  mercy  ?  "  Come  unto 
me  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,"  doth  also  con- 
firm this  thing ;  that  is,  that  the  biggest  sinner,  and  he  that 
has  the  biggest  burden,  is  he  who  is  first  invited.  Christ 
pointeth  over  the  heads  of  thousands,  as  he  sits  on  the 
throne  of  grace,  directly  to  such  a  man ;  and  says,  Bring 
in  hither  the  maimed,  the  halt,  and  the  blind  ;  let  the  Je- 
rusalem sinner  that  stands  there  behind  come  to.  me. 
Wherefore,  since  Christ  says,  Come,  to  thee,  let  the  angels 
make  a  lane,  and  let  all  men  give  place,  that  the  Jerusalem 
sinner  may  come  to  Jesus  Christ  for  mercy. 

Fourthly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered,  in 
the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  1  Then  come  thou 
profane  wretch,  and  let  me  a  little  enter  into  an  argument 
with  thee.  Why  wilt  thou  not  come  to  Jesus  Christ,  since 
thou  art  a  Jerusalem  sinner  ?  How  canst  thou  find  in  thy 
heart  to  set  thyself  against  grace,  against  such  grace  as 
offereth  mercy  to  thee  1  What  spirit  possesseth  thee,  and 
holds  thee  back  from  a  sincere  closure  with  thy  Saviour  ? 
Behold  God  groaningly  complains  of  thee,  saying,  "  But 
Israel  would  none  of  me."  "  When  I  called,  none  did 
answer  ;"  Psl.  lxxxi.  11 ;  Isa.  lxvi.  4. 

Shall  God  enter  this  complaint  against  thee  ?  Why 
dost  thou  put  him  off  ?  Why  dost  thou  stop  thine  ear  ? 
Canst  thou  defend  thyself  ?  When  thou  art  called  to  an 
account  for  thy  neglects  of  so  great  salvation,  what  canst 
thou  answer  ?  or  doest  thou  think  thou  shalt  escape  the 
judgment  ?     Heb.  ii.  3. 

No  more  such  Christs  !  There  will  be  no  more  such 
Christs,  sinner !  Oh,  put  not  the  day,  the  day  of  grace, 
away  from  thee  !  if  it  be  once  gone,  it  will  never  come 
again,  sinner. 

But  what  is  it  that  has  got  thy  heart,  and  that  keeps 
it  from  thy  Saviour  ?  "Who  in  the  heaven  can  be  com- 
pared unto  the  Lord  ?  who  among  the  sons  of  the  mighty 
can  be  likened  unto  the  Lord  ?"  Psl.  lxxxix.  6.  Hast  thou, 
thinkest  thou,  found  anything  so  good   as   Jesus  Christ  ? 


THE  JERUSALEM  SIGNER  SAVED.  57 

Is  there  any  among  thy  sins,  thy  companions,  and  foolish 
delights,  that  like  Christ  can  help  thee  in  the  day  of  thy 
distress  ?  Behold,  the  greatness  of  thy  sins  cannot  hinder  ; 
let  not  the  stubbornness  of  thy  heart  hinder  thee,  sinner. 

Object.  But  I  am  ashamed. 

Answ.  Oh  !  Do  not  be  ashamed  to  be  saved,  sinner. 

Object.  But  my  old  companions  will  mock  me. 

Answ.  Oh  !  Do  not  be  mocked  out  of  eternal  life,  sinner. 

Thy  stubbornness  affects,  afflicts  the  heart  of  thy  Sa- 
viour. Carest  thou  not  for  this  ?  Of  old  he  beheld  the 
city,  and  wept  over  it.  Canst  thou  hear  this,  and  not  be 
concerned  ?  Luke  xix.  41,  42.  Shall  Christ  weep  to  see 
thy  soul  going  on  to  destruction,  and  wilt  thou  sport  thy- 
self in  that  way  ?  Yea,  shall  Christ,  that  can  be  eternally 
happy  without  thee,  be  more  afflicted  at  the  thoughts  of 
the  loss  of  thy  soul,  than  thyself,  who  art  certainly  eter- 
nally miserable  if  thou  neglectest  to  come  to  him. 

Those  things  that  keep  thee  and  thy  Saviour,  on  thy 
part  asunder,  are  but  bubbles  ;  the  least  prick  of  an  af- 
fliction will  let  out,  as  to  thee,  what  now  thou  thinkest 
is  worth  the  venture  of  heaven  to  enjoy. 

Hast  thou  not  reason  ?  Canst  thou  not  so  much  as  once 
soberly  think  of  thy  dying  hour,  or  of  whither  thy  sinful 
life  will  drive  thee  then  ?  Hast  thou  no  conscience  ?  or  hav- 
ing one,  is  it  rocked  so  fast  asleep  by  sin,  or  made  so  weary 
with  an  unsuccessful  calling  upon  thee,  that  it  is  laid  down, 
and  cares  for  thee  no  more  1  Poor  man  !  thy  state  is  to 
be  lamented.  Hast  no  judgment  1  Art  not  able  to  con- 
clude, that  to  be  saved  is  better  than  to  burn  in  hell  ?  and 
that  eternal  life,  with  God's  favour,  is  better  than  a  tem- 
poral life  in  God's  displeasure  1  Hast  no  affection  but 
what  is  brutish  ?  what,  none  at  all  1  no  affection  for  the 
God  that  made  thee  1  what !  none  for  his  loving  Son  that 
has  shewed  his  love,  and  died  for  thee  ?  Is  not  heaven 
worth  thy  affection  ?  0  poor  man  !  which  is  strongest 
thinkest  thou,  God  or  thee  1  If  thou  art  not  able  to  over- 
come him,  thou  art  a  fool  for  standing  out  against  him  ; 
Matt.  v.  25,  26.     "  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the 


58  THE  JERUSALEM  SIN2TER  SAVED, 

hands  of  the  living  God."  He  will  gripe  hard  ;  his  fist  is 
stronger  than  a  lion's  paw ;  take  heed  of  him,  lie  will  be 
angry  if  you  despise  his  Son  ;  and  will  you  stand  guilty 
in  your  trespasses,  when  he  offereth  you  his  grace  and 
favour  1    Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7  ;  Heb.  x.  29-31. 

Now  we  come  to  the  text,  "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem." 
This  text,  though  it  be  now  one  of  the  brightest  stars  that 
shineth  in  the  Bible,  because  there  is  in  it,  as  full,  if  not 
the  fullest  offer  of  grace  that  can  be  imagined,  to  the  sons 
of  men  ;  yet  to  them  that  shall  perish  from  under  this 
word,  even  this  text  will  be  to  such,  one  of  the  hottest 
coals  in  hell. 

This  text,  therefore,  will  save  thee  or  sink  thee  :  there 
is  no  shifting  of  it :  if  it  saves  thee,  it  will  set  thee  high  ; 
if  it  sinks  thee,  it  will  set  thee  low. 

But,  I  say,  why  so  unconcerned  ?  Hast  no  soul  1  or 
dost  think  thou  mayst  lose  thy  soul,  and  save  thyself? 
Is  it  not  pity,  had  it  otherwise  been  the  will  of  God,  that 
ever  thou  wast  made  a  man,  for  that  thou  settest  so  little 
by  thy  soul  1 

Sinner,  take  the  invitation  ;  thou  art  called  upon  to 
come  to  Christ :  nor  art  thou  called  upon  but  by  order 
from  the  Son  of  God  though  thou  shouldst  happen  to 
come  of  the  biggest  sinners  ;  for  he  has  bid  us  offer  mercy, 
as  to  all  the  world  in  general,  so,  in  the  first  place,  to  the 
sinners  of  Jerusalem,  or  to  the  biggest  sinners. 

Fifthly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  ?  then  this  shews  how 
unreasonable  a  thing  it  is  for  men  to  despair  of  mercy  :  for 
those  that  presume,  I  shall  say  something  to  them  after- 
ward. 

I  now  speak  to  them  that  despair. 

There  are  four  sorts  of  despair.  There  is  the  despair  of 
devils  ;  there  is  the  despair  of  souls  in  hell  ;  there  is  the 
despair  that  is  grounded  upon  men's  deficiency  ;  and  there 
is  the  despair  that  they  are  perplexed  with  that  are  willing 
to  be  saved,  but  are  too  strongly  borne  down  with  the  bur- 
then of  their  sins. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  59 

The  despair  of  devils,  the  damned's  despair,  and  that 
despair  that  a  man  has  of  attaining  of  life  because  of  his 
own  deficiency,  are  all  unreasonable.  Why  should  not  devils 
and  damned  souls  despair  1  yea,  why  should  not  man  des- 
pair of  getting  to  heaven  by  his  own  abilities  ?  I  there- 
fore am  concerned  only  with  the  fourth  sort  of  despair,  to 
wit,  with  the  despair  of  those  that  would  be  saved,  but  are 
too  strongly  borne  down  with  the  burden  of  their  sins. 

I  say,  therefore,  to  thee  that  art  thus,  And  why  despair  ? 
Thy  despair,  if  it  were  reasonable,  should  flow  from  thee, 
because  found  in  the  land  that  is  beyond  the  grave,  or  be- 
cause thou  certainly  knowest  that  Christ  will  not,  or  can- 
not save  thee. 

But  for  the  first,  thou  art  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living  ; 
and  for  the  second,  thou  hast  ground  to  believe  the  quite 
contrary  ;  Christ  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  them  that 
come  to  God  by  him  ;  and  if  he  were  not  willing,  he  would 
not  have  commanded  that  mercy,  in  the  first  place,  should 
be  offered  to  the  biggest  sinners.  Besides,  he  hath  said, 
"  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and  whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  the  water  of  life  freely  ;"  that  is,  with  all  my 
heart.  What  ground  now  is  here  for  despair  1  If  thou 
sayst,  The  number  and  burden  of  my  sins ;  I  answer, 
Nay  ;  that  is  rather  a  ground  for  faith  :  because  such  an 
one,  above  all  others,  is  invited  by  Christ  to  come  unto 
him,  yea,  promised  rest  and  forgiveness  if  they  come  ; 
Matt.  xi.  28.  What  ground  then  to  despair  1  Verily  none 
at  all.  Thy  despair  then  is  a  thing  unreasonable  and 
without  footing  in  the  word. 

But  I  have  no  experience  of  God's  love  ;  God  hath  given 
me  no  comfort,  or  ground  of  hope,  though  I  have  waited 
upon  him  for  it  many  a  day. 

Thou  hast  experience  of  God's  love,  for  that  he  has 
opened  thine  eyes  to  see  thy  sins :  and  for  that  he  has 
given  thee  desires  to  be  saved  by  Jesus  Christ.  For  by 
thy  sense  of  sin  thou  art  made  to  see  thy  poverty  of  spirit, 
and  that  has  laid  thee  under  a  sure  ground  to  hope  that 
heaven  shall  be  thine  hereafter. 


CO  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

Also  thy  desires  to  be  saved  by  Christ,  has  put  thee 
under  another  promise,  so  there  is  two  to  hold  thee  up 
in  them,  though  thy  present  burden  be  never  so  heavy, 
Matt.  v.  3,  6.  As  for  what  thou  sayst,  as  to  God's  silence 
to  thee,  perhaps  he  has  spoken  to  thee  once  or  twice  al- 
ready, but  thou  hast  not  perceived  it ;  Job  xxxiii.  14,  15. 

However,  thou  hast  Christ  crucified,  set  forth  before  thine 
eyes  in  the  Bible,  and  an  invitation  to  come  unto  him, 
though  thou  be  a  Jerusalem  sinner,  though  thou  be  the 
biggest  sinner ;  and  so  no  ground  to  despair.  What,  if 
God  will  be  silent  to  thee,  is  that  ground  of  despair  1  Not 
at  all,  so  long  as  there  is  a  promise  in  the  Bible  that  God 
will  in  no  wise  cast  away  the  coming  sinner,  and  so  long 
as  he  invites  the  Jerusalem  sinner  to  come  unto  him  ; 
John  vi.  37. 

Build  not  therefore  despair  upon  these  things  ;  they  are 
no  sufficient  foundations  for  it,  such  plenty  of  promises 
being  in  the  Bible,  and  such  a  discovery  of  his  mercy  to 
great  sinners  of  old  ;  especially  since  we  have  withal  a 
clause  in  the  commission  given  to  ministers  to  preach, 
that  they  should  begin  with  the  Jerusalem  sinners  in  their 
offering  of  mercy  to  the  world. 

Besides,  God  says,  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall 
renew  their  strength,  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings 
like  eagles  ;  but  perhaps  it  may  be  long  first.  "  I  waited 
long,"  saith  David,  "  and  did  seek  the  Lord  ;"  and  at  length 
his  cry  was  heard :  wherefore  he  bids  his  soul  wait  on 
God,  and  says,  For  it  is  good  so  to  do  before  thy  saints  ; 
Psalm  xl.  1  ;  lxii.  5  ;  lii.  9. 

And  what  if  thou  waitest  upon  God  all  thy  days  1  Is  it 
below  thee  ?  And  what  if  God  will  cross  his  book,  and 
blot  out  the  hand-writing  that  is  against  thee,  and  not  let 
thee  know  it  as  yet  ?  Is  it  fit  to  say  unto  God,  Thou  art 
hard-hearted  ?  Despair  not ;  thou  hast  no  ground  to 
despair,  so  long  as  thou  livest  in  this  world.  It  is  a  sin 
to  begin  to  despair  before  one  sets  his  foot  over  the  thres- 
hold of  hell-gates.  For  them  that  are  there,  let  them 
despair  and   spare  not ;  but  as   for  thee,   thou  hast   no 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  CI 

ground  to  do  it.  What !  despair  of  bread  in  a  land  that 
is  full  of  corn  !  despair  of  mercy  when  our  God  is  full  of 
mercy  !  despair  of  mercy,  when  God  goes  about  by  his 
ministers,  beseeching  of  sinners  to  be  reconciled  unto  him  ! 
2  Cor.  v.  18-20. 

Thou  scrupulous  fool,  where  canst  thou  find  that  God 
was  ever  false  to  his  promise,  or  that  he  ever  deceived  the 
soul  that  ventured  itself  upon  him  ?  He  often  calls  upon 
sinners  to  trust  him,  though  they  walk  in  darkness,  and 
have  no  light ;  Isa.  1.  10. 

They  have  his  promise  and  oath  for  their  salvation,  that 
flee  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  them  ;  Heb.  vi.  17, 18. 

Despair  !  when  we  have  a  God  of  mercy,  and  a  re- 
deeming Christ  alive  !  For  shame,  forbear :  let  them 
despair  that  dwell  where  there  is  no  God,  and  that  are 
confined  to  those  chambers  of  death  which  can  be  reached 
by  no  redemption. 

A  living  man  despair  when  he  is  chid  for  murmuring 
and  complaining !  Lam.  iii.  39.  Oh  !  so  long  as  we  are 
where  promises  swarm,  where  mercy  is  proclaimed,  where 
grace  reigns,  and  where  Jerusalem  sinners  are  privileged 
with  the  first  offer  of  mercy,  it  is  a  base  thing  to  despair. 

Despair  undervalues  the  promise,  undervalues  the  invi- 
tation, undervalues  the  proffer  of  grace.  Despair  under- 
values the  ability  of  God  the  Father,  and  the  redeeming 
blood  of  Christ  his  Son.     Oh  unreasonable  despair  ! 

Despair  makes  man  God's  judge ;  it  is  a  controller  of 
the  promise,  a  contradicter  of  Christ  in  his  large  offers  of 
mercy :  and  one  that  undertakes  to  make  unbelief  the 
great  manager  of  our  reason  and  judgment,  in  determining 
about  what  God  can  and  will  do  for  sinners. 

Despair  !  It  is  the  devil's  fellow,  the  devil's  master  ;  yea, 
the  chains  with  which  he  is  captivated  and  held  under 
darkness  for  ever :  and  to  give  way  thereto  in  a  land,  in 
a  state  and  time  that  flows  with  milk  and  honey,  is  an 
uncomely  thing. 

I  would  say  to  my  soul,  0  my  soul !  this  is  not  the 
place  of  despair ;  this  is  not  the  time  to  despair  in :  as 


62  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNEB  SAVED. 

long  as  mine  eyes  can  find  a  promise  in  the  Bible,  as  long 
as  there  is  the  least  mention  of  grace,  as  long  as  there  is 
a  moment  left  me  of  breath  or  life  in  this  world  ;  so  long 
•will  I  wait  or  look  for  mercy,  so  long  will  I  fight  against 
unbelief  and  despair. 

This  is  the  way  to  honour  God  and  Christ ;  this  is  the 
way  to  set  the  crown  on  the  promise  ;  this  is  the  way  to 
welcome  the  invitation  and  inviter  ;  and  this  is  the  way  to 
thrust  thyself  under  the  shelter  and  protection  of  the  word 
of  grace.  Never  despair  so  long  as  our  text  is  alive,  for 
that  doth  sound  it  out, — that  mercy  by  Christ  is  offered, 
in  the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinner. 

Despair  is  an  unprofitable  thing  ;  it  will  make  a  man 
weary  of  waiting  upon  God  ;  2  Kings  vi.  33  ;  it  will  make 
a  man  forsake  God,  and  seek  his  heaven  in  the  good  things 
of  this  world  ;  Gen.  iv.  13-18.  It  will  make  a  man  his 
own  tormentor,  and  flounce  and  fling  like  a  wild  bull  in 
a  net ;  Isa.  li.  20. 

Despair  !  it  drives  a  man  to  the  study  of  his  own  ruin, 
and  brings  him  at  last  to  be  his  own  executioner ;  2 
Sam.  xvii.  23  ;  Matt,  xxvii.  3-5. 

Besides,  I  am  persuaded  also,  that  despair  is  the  cause 
that  there  are  so  many  that  would  fain  be  Atheists  in  the 
world  :  For  because  they  have  entertained  a  conceit 
that  God  will  never  be  merciful  to  them  ;  therefore  they 
labour  to  persuade  themselves  that  there  is  no  God  at  all, 
as  if  their  misbelief  would  kill  God,  or  cause  him  to  cease 
to  be.  A  poor  shift  for  an  immortal  soul,  for  a  soul  who 
liketh.  not  to  retain  God  in  its  knowledge  !  If  this  be  the 
best  that  despair  can  do,  let  it  go,  man,  and  betake  thy- 
self to  faith,  to  prayer,  to  wait  for  God,  and  to  hope,  in 
despite  of  ten  thousand  doubts.  And  for  thy  encourage- 
ment, take  yet  (as  an  addition  to  what  has  already  been 
said)  the  following  scripture  ;  "  The  Lord  taketh  plea- 
sure in  them  that  fear  him,  in  those  that  hope  in  his 
mercy;"  Psal.  cxlvii.  11. 

Whence  note,  They  fear  not  God,  that  hope  not  in  his 
mercy  :  also  God  is  angry  with  them  that  hope  not  in  his 


THE  JERUSALEM  SIGNER  SAVED.  63 

mercy :  for  lie  only  taketh  pleasure  in  them  that  hope.  He 
that  believeth,  or  hath  received  his  testimony,  "  hath  set  to 
his  seal  that  God  is  true,"  John  iii.  33  ;  but  he  that  receiveth 
it  not  hath  made  him  a  liar,  and  that  is  a  very  unworthy 
thing;  1  John  v.  10,  11.  "Let  the  wicked  forsake  his 
ways,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts  ;  and  let  him 
return  to  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  on  him  ;  and 
to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  multiply  pardons."  '  Per- 
haps thou  art  weary  of  thy  ways,  but  art  not  weary  of  thy 
thoughts,  of  thy  unbelieving  and  despairing  thoughts ;  now, 
God  also  would  have  thee  cast  away  these  thoughts,  as  such 
which  he  deserveth  not  at  thy  hands ;  for  he  will  have 
mercy  upon  thee,  and  he  will  abundantly  pardon. 

"  0  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  pro- 
phets have  spoken  !'•'  Luke  xxiv.  25.  Mark  you  here,  slow- 
ness to  believe  is  a  piece  of  folly.  Ay  !  but  sayst  thou,  I  do 
believe  some,  and  I  believe  what  can  make  against  me.  Ay, 
but  sinner,  Christ  Jesus  here  calls  thee  fool  for  not  believing 
all.  Believe  all,  and  despair  if  thou  canst.  He  that  believes 
all,  believes  that  text  that  saith,  Christ  would  have  mercy 
preached  first  to  the  Jerusalem  sinners.  He  that  believeth 
all,  believeth  all  the  promises  and  consolations  of  the  word  ; 
and  the  promises  and  consolations  of  the  word  weigh 
heavier  than  do  all  the  curses  and  threatenings  of  the  law ; 
and  mercy  rejoiceth  against  judgment.  Wherefore  believe' 
all,  and  mercy  will  to  thy  conscience  weigh  judgment 
down,  and  so  minister  comfort  to  thy  soul.  The  Lord  take 
the  yoke  from  off  thy  jaws,  since  he  has  set  meat  before 
thee  ;  Hos.  xi.  4  ;  and  help  thee  to  remember  that  he  is 
pleased  in  the  first  place  to  offer  mercy  to  the  biggest 
sinners. 

Sixthly,  Since  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy  offered  in 
the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners,  let  souls  see  that  they 
lay  right  hold  thereof,  lest  they,  notwithstanding,  indeed 
come  short  thereof.  Faith  only  knows  how  to  deal  with 
mercy ;  wherefore  put  not  in  the  place  thereof  presumption. 
I  have  observed,  that  as  there  are  herbs  and  flowers  in  our 
gardens,  so  there  are  their  counterfeits  in  the  field  ;  only 


64  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

they  are  distinguished  from  the  other  hy  the  name  of  wild 
ones.  Why,  there  is  faith,  and  wild  faith  ;  and  wild  faith 
is  this  presumption.  I  call  it  wild  faith,  because  God  never 
placed  it  in  his  garden,  his  church  ;  it  is  only  to  be  found 
in  the  field,  the  world.  I  also  call  it  wild  faith,  because  it 
only  grows  up  and  is  nourished  where  other  wild  notions 
abound.  Wherefore  take  heed  of  this,  and  all  may  be  well ; 
for  this  presumptuousness  is  a  very  heinous  thing  in  the 
eyes  of  God  :  "  The  soul,"  saith  he,  "  that  doeth  ought  pre- 
sumptuously (whether  he  be  born  in  the  land,  or  a 
stranger),  the  same  reproacheth  the  Lord  ;  and  that  soul 
shall  be  cut  off  from  among  his  people  ;"  Numb.  xv.  30. 

The  thoughts  of  this  made  David  tremble,  and  pray  that 
God  would  hold  him  back  from  presumptuous  sins,  and  not 
suffer  them  to  have  dominion  over  him.;  Psal.  xix.  13. 

Now  this  presumption,  then,  puts  itself  in  the  place  of 
faith,  when  it  tampereth  with  the  promise  for  life,  while 
the  soul  is  a  stranger  to  repentance.  Wherefore  you  have 
in  the  text,  to  prevent  doing  thus,  both  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins  to  be  offered  to  Jerusalem  ;  not  remission 
without  repentance  :  for  all  that  repent  not  shall  perish, 
let  them  presume  on  grace  and  the  promise  while  they 
will  ;  Luke  xiii.  1-3. 

Presumption,  then,  is  that  which  severeth  faith  and  re- 
pentance, concluding,  that  the  soul  shall  be  saved  by  grace, 
though  the  man  was  never  made  sorry  for  his  sins,  nor  the 
love  of  the  heart  turned  therefrom.  This  is  to  be  self- 
willed,  as  Peter  has  it ;  and  this  is  a  despising  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  for  that  has  put  repentance  and  faith  together  ; 
Mark  i.  15.  And  "because  he  hath  despised  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  hath  broken  his  commandment,  that  soul 
shall  utterly  be  cut  off:  his  iniquity  shall  be  upon  him." 
Numb.  xv.  31. 

Let  such  therefore  look  to  it,  who  yet  are,  and  abide 
in  their  sins  ;  for  such,  if  they  hope,  as  they  are,  to  be 
saved,  presume  upon  the  grace  of  God.  Wherefore  pre- 
sumption and  not  hearkening  to  God's  word  are  put  to- 
gether ;  Deut.  xvii.  12. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  65 

Again,  Then  men  presume  when  they  are  resolved  to 
abide  in  their  sins,  and  yet  expect  to  be  saved  by  God's 
grace  through  Christ.  This  is  as  much  as  to  say,  God  liketh 
sin  as  well  as  I  do,  and  careth  not  how  men  live,  if  so 
be  they  lean  upon  his  Son.  Of  this  sort  are  they  that 
build  up  Zion  with  blood,  and  Jerusalem  with  iniquity  ; 
that  judge  for  reward,  and  teach  for  hire,  and  divine  for 
money,  and  lean  upon  the  Lord  ;  Mic.  iii.  10,  11.  This  is 
doing  things  with  an  high  hand  against  the  Lord  our  God, 
and  a  taking  him,  as  it  were,  at  the  catch.  This  is,  as  we 
say  among  men,  to  seek  to  put  a  trick  upon  God,  as  if  he  had 
not  sumciencly  fortified  his  proposals  of  grace  by  his  holy 
word,  against  all  such  kind  of  fools  as  these.    But  look  to  it. 

Such  will  be  found  at  the  day  of  God,  not  among  that 
great  company  of  Jerusalem  sinners  that  shall  be  saved 
by  grace,  but  among  those  that  have  been  the  great  abu- 
sers of  the  grace  of  God  in  the  world.  Those  that  say,  Let 
us  sin  that  grace  may  abound,  and  let  us  do  evil  that  good 
may  come,  their  damnation  is  just.  And  if  so,  they  are  a 
great  way  off  of  that  salvation  that  is  by  Jesus  Christ  pre- 
sented to  the  Jerusalem  sinners. 

I  have  therefore  these  things  to  propound  to  that  Jeru- 
salem sinner  that  would  know,  if  he  may  be  so  bold  as 
to  venture  himself  upon  this  grace. 

First,  Dost  thou  see  thy  sins  ? 

Secondly,  Art  thou  weary  of  them  ? 

Thirdly,  Wouldst  thou  with  all  thy  heart  be  saved  by 
Jesus  Christ  1  I  dare  say  no  less,  I  dare  say  no  more. 
But  if  it  be  truly  thus  with  thee,  how  great  soever  thy  sins 
have  been,  how  bad  soever  thou  feelest  thy  heart,  how  far 
soever  thou  art  from  thinking  that  God  has  mercy  for  thee : 
thou  art  the  man,  the  Jerusalem  sinner,  that  the  Word  of 
God  has  conquered,  and  to  whom  it  offereth  free  remission 
of  sins,  by  the  redemption  that  is  in  Jesus  Christ. 

When  the  jailor  cried  out,  "  Sirs,  What  must  I  do  to  be 
saved  ? "  The  answer  was,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  He  that  sees  his  sins 
aright,  is  brought  to  his  wit's  end  by  them  ;  and  he  that  is 


66  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

so,  is  willing  to  part  from  them,  and  to  be  saved  by  the 
grace  of  God. 

If  this  be  thy  case,  fear  not,  give  no  way  to  despair  ; 
thou  presumest  not,  if  thou  believest  to  life  everlasting  in 
Jesus  Christ :  yea,  Christ  is  prepared  for  such  as  thou  art. 

Therefore  take  good  courage  and  believe.  The  design  of 
Satan  is  to  tell  the  presumptuous,  that  their  presuming  on 
mercy  is  good  ;  but  to  persuade  the  believer,  that  his  be- 
lieving is  impudent  bold  dealing  with  God.  I  never  heard 
a  presumptuous  man  in  my  life  say  that  he  was  afraid  that 
he  presumed  ;  but  I  have  heard  many  an  hoaest  humble 
soul  say,  that  they  have  been  afraid  that  theii  faith  has 
been  presumption.  Why  should  Satan  molest  ths>se  whose 
ways  he  knows  will  bring  them  to  him  1  And  vho  can 
think  that  he  should  be  quiet  when  men  take  th?  right 
course  to  escape  his  hellish  snares  1  This,  therefore,  is  the 
reason  why  the  truly  humbled  is  opposed,  while  the  pre- 
sumptuous goes  on  by  wind  and  tide.  The  truly  humble 
Satan  hates,  but  he  laughs  to  see  the  foolery  of  the  other. 

Does  thy  hand  and  heart  tremble  1  Upon  thee  the  pro- 
mise smiles.  "  To  this  man  will  I  look,"  says  God,  "  even 
to  him  that  is  poor,  and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembles 
at  my  word  ;"  Isa.  lxvi.  2. 

What,  therefore,  I  have  said  of  presumption  concerns  not 
tLe  humble  in  spirit  at  all.  I  therefore  am  for  gathering 
up  the  stones,  and  for  taking  the  stumblingblocks  out  of 
the  way  of  God's  people  :  and  forewarning  of  them  that 
lay  the  stumblingblock  of  their  iniquity  before  their  faces, 
and  that  are  for  presuming  upon  God's  mercy  ;  and  let 
them  look  to  themselves  ;  Ezek.  xiv.  6-8. 

Also  our  text  stands  firm  as  ever  it  did,  and  our  obser- 
vation is  still  of  force,  that  Jesus  Christ  would  have  mercy 
offered  in  the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners.  So  then, 
let  none  despair,  let  none  presume  ;  let  none  despair  that 
are  sorry  for  their  sins,  and  would  be  saved  by  Jesus  Christ ; 
let  none  presume  that  abide  in  the  liking  of  their  sins,  though 
they  seem  to  know  the  exceeding  grace  of  Christ ;  for  though 
the  door  stands  wide  open  for  the  v<x-<?|>ti«n  of  the  penitent, 


TIIE  JERUSALEM  SIXXER  SAVFD.  (17 

yet  it  is  fast  enough  barred  and  bolted  against  the  presump- 
tuous sinner.  Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked,  what- 
soever a  man  sows,  that  he  shall  reap.  It  cannot  be  that 
God  should  be  wheedled  out  of  his  mercy,  or  prevailed 
upon  by  lips  of  dissimulation  ;  he  knows  them  that  trust 
in  him,  and  that  sincerely  come  to  him  by  Christ  for 
mercy  ;  Nahum  i.  7. 

It  is  then  not  the  abundance  of  sins  committed,  but  the 
not  coming  heartily  to  God  by  Christ  for  mercy,  that  shuts 
men  out  of  doors.  And  though  their  not  coming  heartily 
may  be  said  to  be  but  a  sin,  yet  it  is  such  a  sin  as  causeth 
that  all  thy  other  sins  abide  upon  thee  unforgiven. 

God  complains  of  this.  "  They  have  not  cried  unto  me 
with  their  heart ;  they  turned,  but  not  to  the  most  High. 
They  turned  feignedly  ;"  Jer.  iii.  10  ;  Hos.  vii.  14,  16. 

Thus  doing,  his  soul  hates  ;  but  the  penitent,  humble, 
brokenhearted  sinner,  be  his  transgressions  red  as  scarlet, 
red  like  crimson,  in  number  as  the  sand  ;  though  his  trans- 
gressions cry  to  heaven  against  him  for  vengeance,  and 
seem  there  to  cry  louder  than  do  his  prayers,  or  tears,  or 
groans  for  mercy,  yet  he  is  safe.  To  this  man  God  will 
look  ;  Isa.  i.  18  ;  chap  lxvi.  2. 

Seventhly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  1  Then  here  is  ground  for 
those  that,  as  to  practice,  have  not  been  such,  to  come  to 
him  for  mercy. 

Although  there  is  no  sin  little  of  itself,  because  it  is  a 
contradiction  of  the  nature  and  majesty  of  God  ;  yet  we 
must  admit  of  divers  numbers,  and  also  of  aggravations, 
Two  sins  are  not  so  many  as  three  ;  nor  are  three  that  are 
done  in  ignorance  so  big  as  one  that  is  done  against  light, 
against  knowledge  and  conscience.  Also  there  is  the  child 
in  sin,  and  a  man  in  sin  that  has  his  hairs  gray,  and  his 
skin  wrinkled  for  very  age.  And  we  must  put  a  difference 
betwixt  these  sinners  also.  For  can  it  be  that  a  child  of 
seven,  or  ten,  or  sixteen  years  old,  should  be  such  a  sinner — 
a  sinner  so  vile  in  the  eye  of  the  law  as  he  is  who  has 


68  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  forty,  fifty, 
sixty,  or  seventy  years  ?  Now  the  youth,  this  stripling, 
though  he  is  a  sinner,  is  but  a  little  sinner,  when  compared 
with  such. 

Now,  I  say,  if  there  be  room  for  the  first  sort,  for  those 
of  the  biggest  size,  certainly  there  is  room  for  the  lesser 
size  ?  If  there  be  a  door  wide  enough  for  a  giant  to  go  in 
at,  there  is  certainly  room  for  a  dwarf.  If  Christ  Jesus 
has  grace  enough  to  save  great  sinners,  he  has  surely  grace 
enough  to  save  little  ones.  If  he  can  forgive  five  hundred 
pence,  for  certain  he  can  forgive  fifty  ;  Luke  vii.  41,  42. 

But  you  said  before,  that  the  little  sinners  must  stand  by 
until  the  great  ones  have  received  their  grace,  and  that  is 
discouraging ! 

I  answer,  there  are  two  sorts  of  little  sinners,  such  as  are 
so,  and  such  as  feign  themselves  so.  They  are  those  that 
feign  themselves  so,  that  I  intended  there,  and  not  those 
that  are  indeed  comparatively  so.  Such  as  feign  them- 
selves so  may  wait  long  enough  before  they  obtain  for- 
giveness. 

But  again,  a  sinner  may  be  comparatively  a  little  sinner, 
and  sensibly  a  great  one.  There  are  then  two  sorts  of 
greatness  in  sin  ;  greatness  by  reason  of  number ;  great- 
ness by  reason  of  thoroughness  of  conviction  of  the  horrible 
nature  of  sin.  In  this  last  sense,  he  that  has  but  one  sin, 
if  such  a  one  could  be  found,  may  in  his  own  eyes  find 
himself  the  biggest  sinner  in  the  world.  Let  this  man  or 
tills  child  therefore  put  himself  among  the  great  sinners, 
and  plead  with  God  as  great  sinners  do,  and  expect  to  be 
saved  with  the  great  sinners,  and  as  soon  and  as  heartily 
as  they. 

Yea,  a  little  sinner,  that  comparatively  is  truly  so,  if  he 
shall  graciously  give  way  to  conviction,  and  shall  in  God's 
light  diligently  weigh  the  horrible  nature  of  his  own  sins, 
may  yet  sooner  obtain  forgiveness  for  them  at  the  hands  of 
the  heavenly  Father,  than  he  that  has  ten  times  his  sins, 
and  so  cause  to  crv  ten  times  harder  to  God  for  mercv. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  69 

For  the  grievousness  of  the  cry  is  a  great  thing  with  God ; 
for  if  he  will  hear  the  widow,  if  she  cries  at  all,  how  much 
more  if  she  cries  most  grievously  ]     Exod.  xxii.  22,  23. 

It  is  not  the  number,  but  the  true  sense  of  the  abomi- 
nable nature  of  sin,  that  makes  the  cry  for  pardon  lament- 
able. He,  as  I  said,  that  has  many  sins,  may  not  cry  so 
loud  in  the  ears  of  God  as  he  that  has  far  fewer  ;  he,  in  our 
present  sense,  that  is  in  his  own  eyes  the  biggest  sinner,  is 
he  that  soonest  findeth  mercy. 

The  offer  then  is  to  the  biggest  sinner  ;  to  the  biggest 
sinner  first,  and  the  mercy  is  first  obtained  by  him  that 
first  confesseth  himself  to  be  such  an  one. 

There  are  men  that  strive  at  the  throne  of  grace  for  mercy, 
by  pleading  the  greatness  of  their  necessity.  Now  their 
plea,  as  to  the  prevalency  of  it,  lieth  not  in  the  counting 
up  of  the  number,  but  in  the  sense  of  the  greatness  of  their 
sins,  and  in  the  vehemency  of  their  cry  for  pardon.  And 
it  is  observable,  that  though  the  birthright  was  Ruben's, 
and,  for  his  foolishness,  given  to  the  sons  of  Joseph,  yet 
Judah  prevailed  above  his  brethren,  and  of  him  came  the 
Messias  ;  1  Chron.  v.  1,  2. 

There  is  a  heavenly  subtilty  to  be  managed  in  this  mat- 
ter. "  Thy  brother  came  with  subtilty,  and  hath  taken 
away  thy  blessing."  The  blessing  belonged  to  Esau,  but 
Jacob  by  his  diligence  made  it  his  own  ;  Gen.  xxvii.  33. 
The  offer  is  to  the  biggest  sinner,  to  the  biggest  sinner  first ; 
but  if  he  forbear  to  cry,  the  sinner  that  is  a  sinner  less  by 
far  than  he,  both  as  to  number  and  the  nature  of  trans- 
gression, may  get  the  blessing  first,  if  he  shall  have  grace 
to  bestir  himself  well  ;  for  the  loudest  cry  is  heard  furthest, 
and  the  most  lamentable  pierces  soonest. 

I  therefore  urge  this  head,  not  because  I  would  have 
little  sinners  go  and  tell  God  that  they  are  little  sinners, 
thereby  to  think  to  obtain  mercy ;  for,  verily,  so  they  are 
never  like  to  have  it :  for  such  words  declare,  that  such  a 
one  hath  no  true  sense  at  all  of  the  nature  of  his  sins. 

Sin,  as  I  said,  in  the  nature  of  it,  is  horrible,  though  it 
be  but  one  single  sin  as  to  act ;  yea,  though  it  be  but  a  sin- 


70  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

ful  thought ;  and  so  worthily  calls  for  the  damnation  of  tin 
soul. 

The  comparison,  then,  of  little  and  great  sinners,  is  to  go 
for  good  sense  among  men.  But  to  plead  the  fewness  ot 
thy  sins,  or  the  comparative  hannlessness  of  their  quantity 
before  God,  argueth  no  sound  knowledge  of  the  nature  of 
thy  sin,  and  so  no  true  sense  of  the  nature  or  need  of 
mercy. 

Little  sinner,  when  therefore  thou  goest  to  God,  though 
thou  knowest  in  thy  conscience  that  thou,  as  to  acts,  art 
no  thief,  no  murderer,  no  whore,  no  liar,  no  false  swearer, 
or  the  like,  and  in  reason  must  needs  understand  that  tlms 
thou  art  not  so  profanely  vile  as  others  ;  yet  when  thou 
goest  to  God  for  mercy,  know  no  man's  sins  but  thine  own, 
make  mention  of  no  man's  sins  but  thine  own.  Also  labour 
not  to  lessen  thy  own,  but  magnify  and  greaten  them  by 
all  just  circumstances,  and  be  as  if  there  was  never  a  sin- 
ner in  the  world  but  thyself.  Also  cry  out,  as  if  thou  wast 
the  only  undone  man  ;  and  that  is  the  way  to  obtain  God's 
mercy. 

It  is  one  of  the  comeliest  sights  in  the  world  to  see  a  little 
sinner  commenting  upon  the  greatness  of  his  sins,  multi- 
plying and  multiplying  them  to  himself,  till  he  makes 
them  in  his  own  eyes  bigger  and  higher  than  he  seeth  any 
other  man's  sins  to  be  in  the  world  ;  and  as  base  a  thing 
it  is  to  see  a  man  do  otherwise,  and  as  basely  will  come 
on  it  ;  Luke  xviii.  10-14. 

As,  therefore,  I  said  to  the  great  sinner  before,  let  him 
take  heed  lest  he  presume  ;  I  say  now  to  the  little  sinner, 
let  him  take  heed  that  he  do  not  dissemble  :  for  there  is  as 
great  an  aptness  in  the  little  sinner  to  dissemble,  as  there 
is  in  the  great  one.  "  He  that  hideth  his  sins  shall  not 
prosper,"  be  he  a  sinner  little  or  great ;  Prov.  xxviii.  13. 

Eighthly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered,  in  the 
first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners  ?  Then  this  shews  the  true 
cause  why  Satan  makes  such  head  as  he  doth  against  him. 

The  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are  well  spoken  of  by 
all  deluders  and  deceived  persons  ;  Christ  only  is  the  rock 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  71 

of  offence.  "  Behold  I  lay  in  Zion  a  stumbling-stone  and 
a  reck  of  offence  ;"  Rom.  ix.  33.  Not  that  Satan  careth  for 
the  Father  or  the  Spirit  more  than  he  careth  for  the  Son, 
but  he  can  let  men  alone  with  their  notions  of  the  Father 
and  the  Spirit,  for  he  knows  they  shall  never  enjoy  the  Father 
nor  the  Spirit,  if  indeed  they  receive  not  the  merits  of  the 
Son.  "  He  that  hath  the  Son,  hath  life;  he  that  hath  not 
the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life,"  however  they  may  boast 
themselves  of  the  Father  and  the  Spirit ;  1  John  v.  1 2. 
Again,  "  Whosoever  transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  not  God :  he  that  abideth  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son  ;"  2 
John  i.  9. 

Christ,  and  Christ  only,  is  he  that  can  make  us  capable 
to  enjo}'  God  with  life  and  joy  to  all  eternity.  Hence 
he  calls  himself  the  way  to  the  Father,  the  true  and 
living  way  ;  John  xiv.  6  ;  Heb.  x.  19,  20  ;  for  we  can- 
not come  to  the  Father  but  by  him.  Satan  knows  this, 
therefore  he  hates  him.  Deluded  persons  are  ignorant  of 
this,  and,  therefore,  they  are  so  led  up  and  down  by  Satan 
by  the  nose  as  they  are. 

There  are  many  things  by  which  Satan  has  taken  occa- 
sion to  greaten  his  rage  against  Jesus  Christ. 

As,  first,  his  love  to  man,  and  then  the  many  expressions 
of  that  love.  He  hath  taken  man's  nature  upon  him  ;  he 
hath  in  that  nature  fulfilled  the  law  to  bring  in  righteous- 
ness for  man  ;  and  hath  spilt  his  blood  for  the  reconciling 
of  men  to  God  ;  he  hath  broke  t&e  neck  of  death,  put  away 
sin,  destroyed  the  works  of  the  devil,  and  got  into  his  own 
hands  the  keys  of  death  :  and  all  these  are  heinous  things 
to  Satan.  He  cannot  abide  Christ  for  this.  Besides,  he 
hath  eternal  life  in  himself,  and  that  to  bestow  upon  us  ; 
and  we  in  all  likelihood  are  to  possess  the  very  places  from 
which  the  Satans  by  transgression  fell,  if  not  places  more 
glorious.  Wherefore  he  must  needs  be  angry.  And  is  it 
not  a  vexatious  thing  to  him,  that  we  should  be  admitted 
to  the  throne  of  grace  by  Christ,  while  he  stands  bound 
over  in  chains  of  darkness,  to  answer  for  his  rebellions 

h 


72  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

against  God  and  his  Son,  at  the  terrible  day  of  judgment. 
Yea,  we  poor  dust  and  ashes  must  become  his  judges,  and 
triumph  over  him  for  ever :  and  all  this  long  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  for  he  is  the  meritorious  cause  of  all  this. 

Now  though  Satan  seeks  to  be  revenged  for  this,  yet  he 
knows  it  is  in  vain  to  attack  the  person  of  Christ ;  he  has 
overcome  him  :  therefore  he  tampers  with  a  company  of 
silly  men,  that  he  may  vilify  him  by  them.  And  they, 
bold  fools  as  they  are,  will  not  spare  to  spit  in  his  face. 
They  will  rail  at  his  person,  and  deny  the  very  being  of 
it ;  they  will  rail  at  his  blood,  and  deny  the  merit  and 
worth  of  it.  They  will  deny  the  very  end  why  he  accom- 
plished the  law,  and  by  jiggs,  and  tricks,  and  quirks, 
which  he  helpeth  them  to,  they  set  up  fond  names  and 
images  in  his  place,  and  give  the  glory  of  a  Saviour  to 
them.  Thus  Satan  worketh  under  the  name  of  Christ ; 
and  his  ministers  under  the  name  of  the  ministers  of 
righteousness. 

And  by  his  wiles  and  stratagems  he  undoes  a  world  of 
men ;  but  there  is  a  seed,  and  they  shall  serve  him,  and  it 
shall  be  counted  to  the  Lord  for  a  generation.  These  shall 
see  their  sins,  and  that  Christ  is  the  way  to  happiness. 
These  shall  venture  themselves,  both  body  and  soul,  upon 
his  worthiness. 

All  this  Satan  knows,  and  therefore  his  rage  is  kindled 
the  more.  Wherefore,  according  to  his  ability  and  allow- 
ance, he  assaulteth,  tempteth,  abuseth,  and  stirs  up  what 
he  can  to  be  hurtful  to  these  poor  people,  that  he  may, 
while  his  time  shall  last,  make  it  as  hard  and  difficult  for 
them  to  go  to  eternal  glory  as  he  can.  Oftentimes  he 
abuses  them  with  wrong  apprehensions  of  God,  and  with 
wrong  apprehensions  of  Christ.  He  also  casts  them  into 
the  mire,  to  the  reproach  of  religion,  the  shame  of  their 
brethren,  the  derision  of  the  world,  and  dishonour  of  God. 
He  holds  our  hands  while  the  world  buffets  us ;  he  puts  bear- 
skins upon  us,  and  then  sets  the  dogs  at  us.  He  bedaubeth 
us  with  his  own  foam,  and  then  tempts  us  to  believe  that 
that  bedaubing  comes  from  ourselves. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  73 

Oh  !  the  rage  and  the  roaring  of  this  lion,  and  the  hatred 
that  he  manifests  against  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  against  them 
that  are  purchased  with  his  blood  !  But  yet,  in  the  mi'dst 
of  all  this,  the  Lord  Jesus  sends  forth  his  herald  to  pro- 
claim in  the  nations  his  love  to  the  world,  and  to  invite 
them  to  come  in  to  him  for  life.  Yea,  his  invitation  is  so 
large,  that  it  offereth  his  mercy  in  the  first  place  to  the 
biggest  sinners  of  every  age,  which  augments  the  devil's 
rage  the  more. 

Wherefore,  as  I  said  before,  fret  he,  fume  he,  the  Lord 
Jesus  will  divide  the  spoil  with  this  great  one  ;  yea,  he 
shall  divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong,  because  he  hath 
poured  out  his  soul  unto  death,  and  he  was  numbered  with 
the  transgressors,  and  he  bare  the  sin  of  many,  and  made 
intercession  for  the  transgressors  ;  Isa.  liii.  12. 

Ninthly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  ?  Let  the  tempted  harp 
upon  this  string  for  their  help  and  consolation.  The 
tempted  wherever  he  dwells,  always  thinks  himself  the 
biggest  sinner,  one  most  unworthy  of  eternal  life. 

This  is  Satan's  master-argument  :  thou  art  a  horrible 
sinner,  a  hypocrite,  one  that  has  a  profane  heart,  and  one 
that  is  an  utter  stranger  to  a  work  of  grace.  I  say  this  is 
his  maul,  his  club,  his  master-piece  ;  he  doth  with  this  as 
some  do  with  their  most  enchanting  songs,  sings  them  every- 
where. I  believe  there  are  but  few  saints  in  the  world 
that  have  not  had  this  temptation  sounding  in  their  ears. 
But  were  they  but  aware,  Satan  by  all  this  does  but  drive 
them  to  the  gap  out  at  which  they  should  go,  and  so  escape 
his  roaring. 

Saith  he,  thou  art  a  great  sinner,  a  horrible  sinner,  a 
profane  hearted  wretch,  one  that  cannot  be  matched  for  a 
vile  one  in  the  country. 

And  all  this  while  Christ  says  to  his  ministers,  offer 
mercy,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners.  So  that 
this  temptation  drives  thee  directly  into  the  arms  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Were  therefore  the  tempted  but  aware,  he  might  say,  Ay, 


74  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

Satan,  so  I  am,  I  am  a  sinner  of  the  biggest  size,  and  there- 
fore have  most  need  of  Jesus  Christ ;  yea,  because  I  am 
such  a  wretch,  therefore  Jesus  Christ  calls  me  ;  yea,  he 
calls  me  first :  the  first  proffer  of  the  Gospel  is  to  be  made 
to  the  Jerusalem  sinner :  I  am  he,  wherefore  stand  back 
Satan  ;  make  a  lane,  my  right  is  first  to  come  to  Jesus 
Christ. 

This  now  will  be  like  for  like.  This  would  foil  the 
devil :  this  would  make  him  say,  I  must  not  deal  with  this 
man  thus  ;  for  then  I  put  a  sword  into  his  hand  to  cut  off 
my  head. 

And  this  is  the  meaning  of  Peter,  when  he  saith,  "  Re- 
sist him  stedfast  in  the  faith  ; "  1  Pet.  v.  9.  And  of  Paul, 
when  he  saith,  "  Take  the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye 
shall  be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  ;" 
Eph.  vi.  16. 

Wherefore  is  it  said, "  Begin  at  Jerusalem,"  if  the  Jerusa- 
lem sinner  is  not  to  have  the  benefit  of  it  ?  And  if  I  am 
to  have  the  benefit  of  it,  let  me  call  it  to  mind  when 
Satan  haunts  me  with  the  continual  remembrance  of  my 
sins,  of  my  Jerusalem  sins.  Satan  and  my  conscience 
say  I  am  the  biggest  sinner, — Christ  offereth  mercy,  in 
the  first  place,  to  the  biggest  sinners.  Nor  is  the  manner 
of  the  offer  other  but  such  as  suiteth  with  my  mind.  I 
am  sorry  for  my  sin  ;  yea,  sorry  at  my  heart  that  ever 
sinful  thought  did  enter,  or  find  the  least  entertainment  in 
my  wicked  mind  ;  and  might  I  obtain  my  wish,  I  would 
never  more  that  my  heart  should  be  a  place  for  ought  but 
the  grace,  and  spirit,  and  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

I  speak  not  this  to  lessen  my  wickedness  ;  I  would  not 
for  all  the  world  but  be  placed  by  mine  own  conscience  in 
the  very  front  of  the  biggest  sinners,  that  I  might  be  one 
of  the  first  that  are  beckoned  by  the  gracious  hand  of  Je- 
sus the  Saviour,  to  come  to  him  for  mercy. 

Well,  sinner,  thou  now  speakest  like  a  Christian,  but 
say  thus  in  a  strong  spirit  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  and 
then  thou  wilt,  to  thy  commendation  and  comfort,  quit 
thvselfwell. 


TIIE  JERUSALEM  SIN  NEK  SAVED.  75 

This  improving  of  Christ  in  dark  hours,  is  the  life, 
though  the  hardest  part  of  our  Christianity.  We  should 
neither  stop  at  darkness,  nor  at  the  raging  of  our  lusts,  but 
go  on  in  a  way  of  venturing  and  casting  the  whole  of  our 
affairs  for  the  next  world  at  the  foot  of  Jesus  Christ.  This 
is  the  way  to  make  the  darkness  light,  and  also  to  allay 
the  raging  of  our  corruption. 

The  first  time  the  Passover  was  eaten,  was  in  the  night  ; 
and  when  Israel  took  courage  to  go  forward,  though  the 
sea  stood  in  their  way  like  a  devouring  gulf,  and  the  host 
of  the  Egyptians  follow  them  at  the  heels ;  yet  the  sea 
gives  place,  and  their  enemies  were  as  still  as  a  stone  till 
they  were  gone  over  ;  Exod.  xii.  8  ;  chap.  xiv.  13,  14,  21, 
22  ;  chap.  xv.  16. 

There  is  nothing  like  faith  to  help  at  a  pinch ;  faith 
dissolves  doubts  as  the  sun  drives  away  the  mists.  And 
that  you  may  not  be  put  out,  know  your  time,  as  I  said, 
of  believing  it  always.  There  are  times  when  some  graces 
may  be  out  of  use,  but  there  is  no  time  wherein  faith  can 
be  said  to  be  so.  Wherefore  faith  must  be  always  in  exer- 
cise. 

Faith  is  the  eye,  is  the  mouth,  is  the  hand,  and  one  of 
these  is  of  use  all  day  long.  Faith  is  to  see,  to  receive,  to 
work,  or  to  eat ;  and  a  Christian  should  be  seeing  or  re- 
ceiving, or  working,  or  feeding  all  day  long.  Let  it  rain, 
let  it  blow,  let  it  thunder,  let  it  lighten,  a  Christian  must 
still  believe  :  "  At  what  time,"  said  the  good  man,  "  I 
am  afraid,  I  will  trust  in  thee  ;"    Psal.  lvi.  2,  3. 

Nor  can  we  have  a  better  encouragement  to  do  this,  than 
is  by  the  text  set  before  us,  even  an  open  heart  for  a  Jeru- 
salem sinner.  And  if  for  a  Jerusalem  sinner  to  come,  then 
for  such  an  one  when  come.  If  for  such  a  one  to  be  saved, 
then  for  such  a  one  that  is  saved.  If  for  such  a  one  to  be 
pardoned  his  great  transgressions,  then  for  such  a  one  who 
is  pardoned  these,  to  come  daily  to  Jesus  Christ,  too,  to  be 
deansed  and  set  free  from  his  common  infirmities,  and 
from  the  iniquities  of  his  holy  things. 

Therefore  let  the  poor  sinner  that  would  be  saved  labour 


76  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

for  skill  to  make  the  best  improvement  of  the  grace  of 
Christ  to  help  him  against  the  temptations  of  the  devil  and 
his  sins. 

Tenthly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in  the 
first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  1  Let  those  men  consider 
this,  that  (have,  or)  may  in  a  day  of  trial  have  spoken  or 
done  what  their  profession  or  conscience  told  them  they 
should  not,  and  that  have  the  guilt  and  burden  thereof 
upon  their  consciences. 

Whether  a  thing  be  wrong  or  right,  guilt  may  pursue 
him  that  doth  contrary  to  his  conscience.  But  suppose  a 
man  should  deny  his  God,  or  his  Christ,  or  relinquish  a 
good  profession,  and  be  under  the  real  guilt  thereof,  shall 
he  therefore  conclude  he  is  gone  for  ever  1  Let  him 
come  again  with  Peter's  tears,  and  no  doubt  he  shall  obtain 
Peter's  forgiveness.  For  the  text  includes  the  biggest 
sinners. 

And  it  is  observable,  that  before  this  clause  was  put  into 
this  commission,  Peter  was  pardoned  his  horrible  revolt 
from  his  Master.  He  that  re  volte  th  in  the  day  of  trial,  if 
he  is  not  shot  quite  dead  upon  the  place,  but  is  sensible  of 
his  wound,  and  calls  out  for  a  surgeon,  shall  find  his  Lord 
at  hand  to  pour  wine  and  oil  into  his  wounds,  that  he  may 
again  be  healed,  and  to  encourage  him  to  think  that 
there  may  be  mercy  for  him  :  besides  what  we  find  re- 
corded of  Peter,  you  read  in  the  Acts,  some  were,  through 
the  violence  of  their  trials,  compelled  to  blaspheme,  and 
yet  are  called  saints  ;  Acts  xxvi.  9-11. 

Hence  you  have  a  promise  or  two  that  speak  concern- 
ing such  kind  of  men,  to  encourage  us  to  think  that  at 
least  some  of  them  shall  come  back  to  the  Lord  their  God. 
';  Shall  they  fall,"  saith  he,  "  and  not  arise  ?  Shall  they  turn 
away,  and  not  return  V  Jer.  viii.  4.  "  And  in  that  day  I 
will  assemble  her  that  halteth,  and  I  will  gather  her  that 
was  driven  out,  and  her  that  I  have  afflicted.  And  I  will 
make  her  that  halteth  a  remnant,  and  her  that  was  cast  off 
a  strong  nation  ;  and  the  Lord  shall  reign  over  them  in 
Mount  Zion  for  ever."     What  we  are  to  understand  by 


THE  JERUSALEM  SOWER  SAVED.  7} 

her  that  halteth,  is  best  expressed  by  the  Prophet  Elijah  ; 
iMic.  iv.  6,  7  ;  Zeph.  iii.  19  ;  1  Kings  xviii.  21. 

I  will  conclude,  then,  that  for  them  that  have  halted, 
or  may  halt,  the  Lord  has  mercy  in  the  bank,  and  is  will- 
ing to  accept  them  if  they  return  to  him  again. 

Perhaps  they  may  never  be  after  that  of  any  great  es- 
teem in  the  house  of  God,  but  if  the  Lord  will  admit  them 
to  favour  and  forgiveness  :  0  exceeding  and  undeserved 
mercy  !     See  Ezekiel  xliv.  10-14. 

Thou,  then,  that  mayst  be  the  man,  remember  this, 
that  there  is  mercy  also  for  thee.  Return  therefore  to  God, 
and  to  his  Son;  who  hath  yet  in  store  for  thee,  and  who 
will  do  thee  good. 

But  perhaps  thou  wilt  say,  he  doth  not  save  all  revolt- 
ers,  and,  therefore,  perhaps  not  me. 

Answer.  Art  thou  returning  to  God  ?  If  thou  art  re- 
turning, thou  art  the  man  ;  "  Return  ye  backsliding  chil- 
dren, and  I  will  heal  your  backslidings  ;"  Jer.  iii.  22. 

Some,  as  I  said,  that  revolt,  are  shot  dead  upon  the  place, 
and  for  them,  who  can  help  them  1  But  for  them  that  cry 
out  of  their  wounds,  it  is  a  sign  they  are  yet  alive,  and  if 
they  use  the  means  in  time,  doubtless  they  may  be  healed. 

Christ  Jesus  has  bags  of  mercy  that  were  never  yet  broken 
up  or  unsealed.  Hence  it  is  said,  he  has  goodness  laid  up ; 
things  reserved  in  heaven  for  his.  And  if  he  breaks  up 
one  of  these  bags,  who  can  tell  what  he  can  do  ! 

Hence  his  love  is  said  to  be  such  as  passeth  knowledge, 
and  that  his  riches  are  unsearchable.  He  has,  no  body 
knows  what ;  for  no  body  knows  whom :  he  has  by  him  in 
store  for  such  as  seem  in  the  view  of  all  men  to  be  gone 
beyond  recovery.  For  this  the  text  is  plain.  What  man 
or  angel  could  have  thought  that  the  Jerusalem  sinners  had 
been  yet  on  this  side  of  an  impossibility  of  enjoying  life 
and  mercy  ?  Hadst  thou  seen  their  actions,  and  what  hor- 
rible things  they  did  to  the  Son  of  God  ;  yea,  how  stoutly 
they  backed  what  they  did  with  resolves  and  endeavours  to 
persevere,  when  they  had  killed  his  person,  against  his 
name  and  doctrine  ;  and  that  there  was  not  found  among 


78  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

them  all  that  while,  as  we  read  of,  the  least  remorse  or  re- 
gret for  these  their  doings  ;  couldst  thou  have  imagined 
that  mercy  would  ever  have  took  hold  of  them,  at  least  so 
soon  !  Nay,  that  they  should,  of  all  the  world,  be  counted 
those  only  meet  to  have  it  offered  to  them  in  the  very  first 
place  !  For  so  my  text  commands,  saying,  "  Preach  re- 
pentance and  remission  of  sins  among  all  nations,  beginning 
at  Jerusalem." 

I  tell  you  the  thing  is  a  wonder,  and  must  for  ever  stand 
for  a  wonder  among  the  sons  of  men.  It  stands  also  for  an 
everlasting  invitation  and  allurement  to  the  biggest  sinners 
to  come  to  Christ  for  mercy. 

Now  since,  in  the  opinion  of  all  men,  the  revolter  is  such 
a  one  ;  if  he  has,  as  I  said  before,  any  life  in  him,  let  him 
take  encouragement  to  come  again,  that  he  may  live  by 
Christ. 

Eleventhly,  Would  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  offered  in 
the  first  place  to  the  biggest  sinners  ?  Then  let  God's  mi- 
nisters tell  them  so.  There  is  an  incidence  in  us,  I  know 
not  how  it  doth  come  about,  when  we  are  converted,  to 
contemn  them  that  are  left  behind.  Poor  fools  as  we  are, 
we  forget  that  we  ourselves  were  so  ;  Tit.  iii.  2,  3. 

But  would  it  not  become  us  better,  since  we  have  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  to  carry  it  towards  them  so,  that 
we  may  give  them  convincing  ground  to  believe,  that  we 
have  found  that  mercy  which  also  sets  open  the  door  for 
them  to  come  and  partake  with  us. 

Ministers,  I  say,  should  do  thus,  both  by  their  doctrine, 
and  in  all  other  respects. 

Austerity  doth  not  become  us,  neither  in  doctrine  nor  in 
conversation.  We  ourselves  live  by  grace  ;  let  us  give  as 
we  receive,  and  labour  to  persuade  our  fellow-sinners  which 
God  has  left  behind  us,  to  follow  after,  that  they  may  par- 
take with  us  of  grace.  We  are  saved  by  grace,  let  us  live 
like  them  that  are  gracious.  Let  all  our  things  (to  the 
world)  be  done  in  charity  towards  them ;  pity  them,  pray 
for  them,  be  familiar  with  them  for  their  good.  Let  us  lay 
aside  our  foolish,  worldly,  carnal  grandeur ; -let  us  not  walk 


T1IK  JERUSALEM  SIKtflEB  SAVED.  79 

the  streets,  and  have  such  behaviours  as  signify  we  are 
scarce  for  touching  of  the  poor  ones  that  are  left  behind, 
no  not  with  a  pair  of  tongs.     It  becomes  us  not  thus  to  do. 

Remember  your  Lord,  he  was  familiar  with  publicans 
and  sinners  to  a  proverb  ;  "  Behold  a  gluttonous  man,  and 
a  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners  ;"  Matt. 
xi.  19.  The  first  part,  concerning  his  gluttonous  eating 
and  drinking,  to  be  sure,  was  an  horrible  slander  ;  but  for 
the  other,  nothing  was  ever  spoke  truer  of  him  by  the 
world.  Now,  why  should  we  lay  hands  cross  on  this  text  : 
that  is,  choose  good  victuals,  and  love  the  sweet  wine  better 
than  the  salvation  of  the  poor  publican  1  Why  not  fami- 
liar with  sinners,  provided  we  hate  their  spots  and  blemishes, 
and  seek  that  they  may  be  healed  of  them  ] 

Why  not  fellowly  with  our  carnal  neighbours  ?  If  we 
do  take  occasion  to  do  so,  that  we  may  drop,  and  be  yet 
distilling  some  good  doctrine  upon  their  souls  1  Why  not 
go  to  the  poor  man's  house,  and  give  him  a  penny,  and  a 
Scripture  to  think  upon  1  AVhy  not  send  for  the  poor  to 
fetch  away  at  least  the  fragments  of  thy  table,  that  the 
bowels  of  thy  fellow-sinner  may  be  refreshed  as  well  as 
thine  ? 

Ministers  should  be  exemplary  ;  but  I  am  an  inferior 
man,  and  must  take  heed  of  too  much  meddling.  But  might 
I,  I  would  meddle  with  them,  with  their  wives,  and  with 
their  children  too.  I  mean  not  this  of  all,  but  of  them 
that  deserve  it,  though  I  may  not  name  them. 

But,  I  say,  let  ministers  follow  the  steps  of  their  blessed 
Lord,  who  by  word  and  deed  shewed  his  love  to  the  salva- 
tion of  the  world,  in  such  a  carriage  as  declared  him  to 
prefer  their  salvation  before  his  own  private  concern,  For 
we  are  commanded  to  follow  his  steps,  "  wdio  did  no  sin, 
neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth." 

And  as  I  have  said  concerning  ministers,  so  I  say  to  all 
the  brethren,  carry  it  so,  that  all  the  world  may  see,  that 
indeed  you  are  the  sons  of  love. 

Love  your  Saviour  ;  yea,  shew  one  to  another  that  you 
love  him,  not  only  by  a  seeming  love  of  affection,  but  with 


80  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

the  love  of  duty.  Practical  love  is  best.  Many  love  Christ 
with  nothing  but  the  lick  of  the  tongue.  Alas  !  Christ  Je- 
sus the  Lord  must  not  be  put  off  thus  :  "  He  that  hath  my 
commandments,  and  keepeth  them,"  saith  he,  "  he  it  is  that 
loveth  me  ;"  John  xiv.  21. 

Practical  love,  which  stands  in  self-denial,  in  charity  to 
my  neighbour,  and  a  patient  enduring  of  affliction  for  his 
name  ;  this  is  counted  love. 

Right  love  to  Christ  is  that  which  carries  in  it  a  pro- 
voking argument  to  others  of  the  brethren  ;"  Heb.  x.  24. 

Should  a  man  ask  me  how  he  should  know  that  he  loveth 
the  children  of  God  ?  The  best  answer  I  could  give  him, 
would  be  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle  John ;  "  By  this," 
saith  he,  "  we  know  we  love  the  children  of  God,  when  we 
love  God,  and  keep  his  commandments  ;"  1  John,  v.  2. 

Love  to  God  and  Christ  is  then  shewn  when  we  are  ten- 
der of  his  name  ;  and  then  we  shew  ourselves  tender  of  his 
name  when  we  are  afraid  to  break  any  the  least  of  his  com- 
mandments. And  when  we  are  here,  then  do  we  shew  our 
love  to  our  brother  also. 

Now,  we  have  obligation  sufficient  thus  to  do,  for  that 
our  Lord  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us,  to  deliver  us 
from  death,  that  we  might  live  through  him. 

The  world,  when  they  hear  the  doctrine  that  I  have  as- 
serted and  handled  in  this  little  book ;  to  wit,  that  Jesus 
Christ  would  have  mercy  offered  in  the  first  place  to  the 
biggest  sinners,  will  be  apt,  because  themselves  are  unbe- 
lievers, to  think  that  this  is  a  doctrine  that  leads  to  loose- 
ness, and  that  gives  liberty  to  the  flesh  ;  but  if  you  that 
believe  love  your  brethren  and  your  neighbours  truly,  and 
as  you  should,  you  will  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  such 
foolish  men,  and  stop  their  mouths  from  speaking  evil  of 
you. 

And,  I  say,  let  the  love  of  Christ  constrain  us  to  this. 

Who  deserveth  our  heart,  our  mouth,  our  life,  our  g Is, 

so  much  as  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  bought  us  to  himself  by 
his  blood,  to  this  very  end,  that  we  should  be  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works? 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  81 

There  is  nothing  more  seemly  in  the  world,  than  to  see 
a  Christian  walk  as  becomes  the  Gospel ;  nor  any  thing 
more  unbecoming  a  reasonable  creature,  than  to  hear  a  man 
say,  I  believe  in  Christ,  and  yet  see  in  his  life  debauchery 
and  profaneness.  Might  I,  such  men  should  be  counted  the 
basest  of  men ;  such  men  should  be  counted  by  all  un- 
worthy of  the  name  of  a  Christian,  and  should  be  shunned 
by  every  good  man,  as  such  who  are  the  very  plague  of 
profession. 

For  so  it  is  written,  we  should  carry  it  towards  them. 
Whoso  have  a  form  of  godliness,  and  deny  the  power  there- 
of, from  such  we  must  turn  away. 

It  has  ofttimes  come  into  my  mind  to  ask,  by  what 
means  it  is  that  the  gospel  profession  should  be  so  tainted 
with  loose  and  carnal  gospellers  1  and  I  could  never  arrive 
to  better  satisfaction  in  the  matter  than  this, — such  men  are 
made  professors  by  the  devil,  and  so  by  him  put  among  the 
rest  of  the  godly.  A  certain  man  had  a  fruitless  fig-tree 
planted  in  his  vineyard  ;  but  by  whom  was  it  planted 
there  ?  Even  by  him  that  sowed  the  tares,  his  own  chil- 
dren, among  the  wheat  ;  Luke  xiii.  6 ;  Matth.  xiii.  37-40. 
And  that  was  the  devil.  But  why  doth  the  devil  do  thus  1 
Not  of  love  to  them,  but  to  make  of  them  offences  and 
stumblingblocks  to  others.  For  he  knows  that  a  loose 
professor  in  the  church  does  more  mischief  to  religion  than 
ten  can  do  to  it  that  are  in  the  world. 

Was  it  not,  think  you,  the  devil  that  stirred  up  the  dam- 
sel that  you  read  of  in  Acts  xvi.,  to  cry  out,  "  These  are 
the  servants  of  the  most  high  God,  that  shew  unto  us  the 
way  of  salvation  !"  Yes  it  was,  as  is  evident,  for  Paul  was 
grieved  to  hear  it.  But  why  did  the  devil  stir  up  her  to 
cry  so  ?  but  because  that  was  the  way  to  blemish  the  Gos- 
pel, and  to  make  the  world  think  that  it  came  from  the 
same  hand  as  did  her  soothsaying  and  witchery  ;  verse  16- 
18  ;  "  Holiness,  0  Lord,  becomes  thy  house  for  ever." 

Let,  therefore,  whoever  they  be  that  profess  the  name  of 
Christ,  take  heed  that  they  scandal  not  that  profession  which 
they  make  of  him,  since  he  has  so  graciously  offered  us,  as 


82  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

we  are  sinners  of  the  biggest  size,  in  the  first  place,  his 
grace  to  save  us. 

Having  thus  far  spoken  of  the  riches  of  the  grace  of 
Christ,  and  of  the  freeness  of  his  heart  to  embrace  the  Je- 
rusalem sinners,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  you  yet,  as  a 
caution,  an  intimation  of  one  thing,  namely,  that  this  grace 
and  freeness  of  his  heart  is  limited  to  time  and  day  ;  the 
which,  whoso  overstandeth,  shall  perish  notwithstanding. 

For  as  a  king,  who,  of  grace,  scndeth  out  to  his  rebel- 
lious people  an  offer  of  pardon,  if  they  accept  thereof  by 
such  a  day,  yet  beheadeth  or  hangeth  those  that  come  not 
in  for  mercy  until  the  day  or  time  be  past ;  so  Christ  Jesus 
has  set  the  sinner  a  day,  a  day  of  salvation,  an  acceptable 
time  ;  but  he  who  standeth  out,  or  goeth  on  in  rebellion 
beyond  that  time,  is  like  to  come  off  with  the  loss  of  his 
soul ;  2  Cor.  vi.  2  ;  Heb.  iii.  13,  16,  17,  18, 19  ;  chap.  iv.  7  ; 
Luke  xix.  41,  42. 

Since,  therefore,  things  are  thus,  it  may  be  convenient 
here  to  touch  a  little  upon  these  particulars. 

First,  That  this  day,  or  time  thus  limited,  when  it  is  con- 
sidered with  reference  to  this  or  that  man,  is  ofttimes  un- 
discerned  by  the  person  concerned  therein,  and  always  is 
kept  secret  as  to  the  shutting  up  thereof. 

And  this,  in  the  wisdom  of  God,  is  thus  to  the  end  ;  no 
man,  when  called  upon,  should  put  off  turning  to  God  to 
another  time.  Now,  and  to-day,  is  that  and  only  that 
which  is  revealed  in  holy  writ ;  Psal.  1.  22  ;  Eccles.  xii. 
1  ;  Heb.  iii.  13,  16. 

And  this  shews  us  the  desperate  hazards  which  those 
men  run,  who  when  invitation  or  conviction  attends  them, 
put  off  turning  to  God  to  be  saved  till  another,  and,  as  they 
think,  a  more  fit  season  and  time.  For  many,  by  so  doing, 
defer  this  to  do  till  the  day  of  God's  patience  and  long-suf- 
fering is  ended  ;  and  then,  for  their  prayers  and  cries  after 
mercy,  they  receive  nothing  but  mocks,  and  are  laughed  at 
by  the  God  of  heaven ;  Prov.  i.  20-30  ;  Isaiah  Ixv.  12-16; 
chap.  lxvi.  4  ;  Zech.  vii.  11-13. 

Secondly,  Another  thing  to  be  considered  is  this,  viz. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  83 

that  the  day  of  God's  grace  with  some  men  begins  sooner, 
and  also  sooner  ends  than  it  doth  with  others.  Those  at 
the  first  hour  of  the  day,  had  their  call  sooner  than  they 
who  were  called  upon  to  turn  to  God  at  the  sixth  hour  of 
the  day  ;  yea,  and  they  who  were  hired  at  the  third  hour, 
had  their  call  sooner  than  they  who  were  called  at  the 
eleventh  ;  Matt.  xx.  1-6. 

1.  The  day  of  God's  patience  began  with  Ishmael,  and 
also  ended  before  he  was  twenty  years  old.  At  thirteen 
years  of  age  he  was  circumcised  ;  the  next  year  after  Isaac 
was  born  ;  and  then  Ishmael  was  fourteen  years  old.  Now 
that  day  that  Isaac  was  weaned,  that  day  was  Ishmael  re- 
jected ;  and  suppose  that  Isaac  was  three  years  old  before 
he  was  weaned,  that  was  but  the  seventeenth  year  of  Ish- 
mael ;  wherefore  the  day  of  God's  grace  was  ended  with 
him  betimes  ;  Gen.  xvii.  24,  25  ;  chap.  xxi.  2-11  ;  Gal.  iv. 
30. 

2.  Cain's  day  ended  with  him  betimes  ;  for  after  God  had 
rejected  him,  he  lived  to  beget  many  children,  and  build  a 
city,  and  to  do  many  other  things.  But  alas  !  all  that 
while  he  was  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond.  Nor  carried  he 
any  thing  with  him  after  the  day  of  his  rejection  was  con\e, 
but  this  doleful  language  in  his  conscience,  "  From  God's 
face  shall  I  be  hid  ;"  Gen.  iv.  10-15. 

3.  Esau,  through  his  extravagancies  would  needs  go  to 
sell  his  birth-right,  not  fearing  (as  other  confident  fools)  but 
that  yet  the  blessing  would  still  be  his,  after  which  he  lived 
many  years ;  but  all  of  them  under  the  wrath  of  God,  as  was, 
when  time  came,  made  appear  to  his  destruction  ;  for  "When 
he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  rejected,  for 
he  found  no  place  of  repentance,  though  he  sought  it  care- 
fully with  tears  ;"  Heb.  xii.  14-16. 

Many  instances  might  be  given  as  to  such  tokens  of  the 
displeasure  of  God  against  such  as  fool  away,  as  the  wise 
man  has  it,  the  prize  which  is  put  into  their  hand ;  Prow 
xvii.  16. 

Let  these  things,  therefore,  be  a  further  caution  to  those 


b-i  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

that  sit  under  the  glorious  sound  of  the  Gospel,  and  hear 
of  the  riches  of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  to  poor  sinners. 

To  slight  grace,  to  despise  mercy,  and  to  stop  the  ear 
when  God  speaks,  when  he  speaks  such  great  things,  so 
much  to  our  profit,  is  a  great  provocation. 

He  offereth,  he  calls,  he  woos,  he  invites,  he  prays,  he 
beseeches  us  in  this  day  of  his  grace  to  be  reconciled  to  him ; 
yea,  and  has  provided  for  us  the  means  of  reconciliation 
himself.  Now,  this  despised  must  needs  be  provoking; 
and  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living 
God. 

But  some  man  may  say  unto  me,  Fain  I  would  be  saved, 
fain  I  would  be  saved  by  Christ;  but  I  fear  this  day  of 
grace  is  past,  and  that  I  shall  perish,  notwithstanding  the 
exceeding  riches  of  the  grace  of  God. 

Answer.     To  this  doubt  I  would  answer  several  things. 

First,  With  respect  to  this  day. 

Secondly,  With  respect  to  thy  desires. 

Thirdly,  With  respect  to  thy  fears. 

First,  With  respect  to  the  day ;  that  is,  whether  it  be 
ended  with  a  man  or  no. 

1.  Art  thou  jogged,  and  shaken,  and  molested  at  the 
hearing  of  the  Word  1  Is  thy  conscience  awakened  and 
convinced  then  that  thou  art  at  present  in  a  perishing 
state,  and  that  thou  hast  need  to  cry  to  God  for  mercy  ? 
This  is  a  hopeful  sign  that  this  day  of  grace  is  not  past 
with  thee.  For  usually  they  that  are  past  grace,  are  also, 
in  their  conscience,  past  feeling,  being  "  seared  with  an  hot 
iron  ;"  Eph.  iv.  18,  19  ;  1  Tim.  iv.  1,  2. 

Consequently,  those  past  grace  must  be  such  as  are  denied 
the  awakening  fruits  of  the  Word  preached.  "  The  dead 
that  hear,"  says  Christ,  "  shall  live ;"  at  least  while  Christ 
has  not  quite  done  with  them ;  the  day  of  God's  patience 
is  not  at  an  end  with  them ;  John  v.  25. 

2.  Is  there  in  thy  more  retired  condition,  arguings, 
stragglings,  and  strivings  with  thy  spirit  to  persuade  thee  of 
the  vanity  of  what  vain  things  thou  lovest,  and  to  win 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINXER  SAVED.  85 

thee  in  thy  soul  to  a  choice  of  Christ  Jesus  and  his 
heavenly  things  ?  Take  heed  and  rehel  not,  for  the  day  of 
God's  grace  and  patience  will  not  be  past  with  thee  till  he 
saith  his  "  Spirit  shall  strive  no  more"  with  thee  ;  for  then 
the  woe  comes,  when  "  he  shall  depart  from  them  ;"  and 
when  he  says  to  the  means  of  grace,  "  Let  them  alone ;" 
Hos.  iv.  17  ;  chap.  ix.  12. 

3.  Art  thou  visited  in  the  night-seasons  with  dreams 
about  thy  state,  and  that  thou  art  in  danger  of  being  lost  ? 
Hast  thou  heart-shaken  apprehensions  when  deep  sleep  is 
upon  thee,  of  hell,  death,  and  judgment  to  come  ?  These 
are  signs  that  God  has  not  wholly  left  thee,  or  cast  thee 
behind  his  back  for  ever.  "  For  God  speaketh  once,  yea 
twice,  yet  manperceiveth  it  not ;  in  a  dream,  in  a  vision  of  the 
night,  when  deep  sleep  falleth  upon  men,  inslumberingsupon 
the  bed ;  then  he  openeth  the  ears  of  men,  and  sealeth  their 
instruction,  that  he  may  withdraw  man  from  his  purpose 
(his  sinful  purposes)  and  hide  pride  from  man;"  Job 
xxxiii.  14-17. 

All  this  while  God  has  not  left  the  sinner,  nor  is  come  to 
the  end  of  his  patience  towards  him,  but  stands  at  least 
with  the  door  of  grace  a-jar  in  his  hand,  as  being  loth  as 
yet  to  bolt  it  against  him. 

4.  Art  thou  followed  with  affliction,  and  dost  thou  hear 
God's  angry  voice  in  thy  afflictions  ?  Doth  he  send  with 
thy  affliction  an  interpreter  to  shew  thee  thy  vileness  ;  and 
why,  or  wherefore,  the  hand  of  God  is  upon  thee,  and  upon 
Tvhat  thou  hast ;  to  wit,  that  it  is  for  thy  sinning  against 
him,  and  that  thou  mightest  be  turned  to  him  ?  If  so,  thy 
summer  is  not  quite  ended ;  thy  harvest  is  not  quite  over 
and  gone.  Take  heed,  stand  out  no  longer,  lest  he  cause 
darkness,  and  lest  thy  feet  stumble  upon  the  dark  moun- 
tains ;  and  lest,  while  you  look  for  light,  he  turn  it  into 
the  shadow  of  death,  and  make  it  gross  darkness;  Jer.  viii. 
20;  chap.  xiii.  15-17. 

5.  Art  thou  crossed,  disappointed,  and  way-laid,  and 
overthrown  in  all  thy  foolish  ways  and  doings  ?  This  is  a 
sign  God  has  not  quite  left  thee,  but  that  he  still  waits 


86  TUE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

upon  thee  to  turn  thee.  Consider,  I  say,  has  he  made  a 
hedge  and  a  wall  to  stop  thee  1  Has  he  crossed  thee  in  all 
thou  puttest  thy  hand  unto  ?  Take  it  as  a  call  to  turn  to 
him,  for,  by  his  thus  doing,  he  shews  he  has  a  mind  to 
give  thee  a  better  portion.  For  usually  when  God  gives 
up  men,  and  resolves  to  let  them  alone  in  the  broad  way, 
he  gives  them  rope,  and  lets  them  have  their  desires  in  all 
hurtful  things;  Hos.  ii.  6-15;  Psalm  lxxiii.  3-13; 
Hum.  xi.  9. 

Therefore  take  heed  to  this  also,  that  thou  strive  not 
against  this  hand  of  God  ;  but  betake  thyself  to  a  serious 
inquiry  into  the  causes  of  this  hand  of  God  upon  thee,  and 
incline  to  think,  it  is  because  the  Lord  would  have  thee  look 
to  that,  which  is  better  than  what  thou  wouldst  satisfy 
thyself  withal.  When  God  had  a  mind  to  make  the  pro- 
digal go  home  to  his  father,  he  sent  a  famine  upon  him, 
and  denied  him  a  bellyful  of  the  husks  which  the  swine 
did  eat.  And  observe  it,  now  he  was  in  a  strait,  he  be- 
took him  to  consideration  of  the  good  that  there  was  in  his 
father's  house ;  yea,  he  resolved  to  go  home  to  his  father, 
and  his  father  dealt  well  with  him;  he  received  him  with 
music  and  dancing,  because  he  had  received  him  safe  and 
sound  ;  Luke  xv.  14-32. 

6.  Hast  thou  any  enticing  thoughts  of  the  word  of  God 
upon  thy  mind  ?  Doth,  as  it  were,  some  holy  word  of 
God  give  a  glance  upon  thee,  cast  a  smile  upon  thee,  let 
fall,  though  it  be  but  one  drop  of  its  savour  upon  thy  spi- 
rit ;  yea,  though  it  stays  but  one  moment  with  thee  ]  0 
then  the  day  of  grace  is  not  past  !  The  gate  of  heaven  is 
not  shut  !  nor  God's  heart  and  bowels  withdrawn  from 
thee  as  yet.  Take  heed,  therefore,  and  beware  that  thou 
make  much  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  of  that  good  word  of 
God  of  the  which  he  has  made  thee  taste.  Beware,  I  say, 
and  take  heed  ;  there  may  be  a  falling  away  for  all  this  ; 
but,  I  say,  as  yet  God  has  not  left  thee,  as  yet  he  has  not 
cast  thee  off ;  Heb.  vi.  1-9. 

Secondly,  With  respect  to  thy  desires,  what  are  they  ? 
Wouldst  thou  be  saved  !      Wouldst  thou  be  saved  with  a 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  87 

thorough  salvation  ?  Wouldst  thou  he  saved  from  guilt 
and  filth  too  ?  Wouldst  thou  he  the  servant  of  thy  Sa- 
viour 1  Art  thou  indeed  weary  of  the  service  of  thy  old 
master  the  devil,  sin,  and  the  world  1  And  have  these 
desires  put  thy  soul  to  flight  1  Hast  thou  through  de- 
sires betaken  thyself  to  thy  heels  ?  Dost  fly  to  him  that 
is  a  Saviour  from  the  wrath  to  come,  for  life  1  If  these  be 
thy  desires,  and  if  they  be  unfeigned,  fear  not.  Thou  art 
one  of  those  runaways  which  God  has  commanded  our 
Lord  to  receive,  and  not  to  send  thee  back  to  the  devil  thy 
master  again,  but  to  give  thee  a  place  in  his  house,  even 
the  place  which  liketh  thee  best.  "  Thou  shalt  not  de- 
liver to  his  master,"  says  he,  "  the  servant  which  is  es- 
caped from  his  master  unto  thee.  He  shall  dwell  with 
thee,  even  among  you  in  that  place  which  he  shall  choose, 
in  one  of  thy  gates  where  it  liketh  him  best ;  thou  shalt 
not  oppress  him;"  Deut.  xxiii.  15,  16. 

This  is  a  command  to  the  church,  consequently  to  the 
Head  of  the  church ;  for  all  commands  from  God  come  to 
her  through  her  Head.  Whence  I  conclude,  that  as 
Israel  of  old  was  to  receive  the  runaway  servant  who  es- 
caped from  a  heathen  master  to  them,  and  should  not  dare 
to  send  him  back  to  his  master  again,  so  Christ's  church 
now,  and  consequently  Christ  himself,  may  not,  will  not, 
refuse  that  soul  that  has  made  his  escape  from  sin,  Satan, 
the  world,  and  hell,  unto  him,  but  will  certainly  let  him 
dwell  in  his  house,  among  his  saints,  in  that  place  which 
he  shall  choose,  even  where  it  liketh  him  best.  For  he 
says  in  another  place,  "  And  him  that  cometh  to  me,  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  In  no  wise,  let  his  crimes  be 
what  they  will,  either  for  nature,  multitude,  or  the  attend- 
ance of  aggravating  circumstances. 

Wherefore,  if  thy  desires  be  firm,  sound,  and  unfeigned 
to  become  the  saved  of  Christ,  and  his  servant,  fear  not,  he 
will  not,  he  will  in  no  wise  put  thee  away,  or  turn  thee 
over  to  thy  old  master  again. 

Thirdly.  As  to  thy  fears,  whatever  they  are,  let  that  be 

I 


88  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

supposed  which  is  supposed  before,  and  they  are  ground- 
less, and  so  of  no  weight. 

Object.  But  I  am  afraid  I  am  not  elected,  or  chosen  to  sal- 
vation, though  you  called  me  fool  a  little  before  for  so 
fearing. 

Ans.  Though  election  is,  in  order,  before  calling,  as  tc 
God,  yet  the  knowledge  of  calling  must  go  before  the  be- 
lief of  my  election  as  to  myself.  Wherefore,  souls  that 
doubt  of  the  truth  of  their  effectual  calling,  do  but  plunge 
themselves  into  a  deeper  labyrinth  of  confusion  that  concern 
themselves  with  their  election  ;  I  mean,  while  they  labour 
to  know  it  before  they  prove  their  calling.  "  Make  your 
calling,  and  so  your  election,  sure  ;"  2  Pet.  i.  4-11. 

Wherefore,  at  present,  lay  the  thoughts  of  thy  election 
by,  and  ask  thyself  these  questions  :  Do  I  see  my  lost  con- 
dition 1  Do  I  see  salvation  is  nowhere  but  in  Christ  ? 
Would  I  share  in  this  salvation  by  faith  in  him  ?  And 
would  I,  as  was  said  before,  be  thoroughly  saved,  to  wit, 
from  the  filth  as  from  the  guilt  ?  Do  I  love  Christ,  his 
Father,  his  saints,  his  words,  and  ways  1  This  is  the  way 
to  prove  we  are  elect.  Wherefore,  sinner,  when  Satan,  or 
thine  own  heart  seeks  to  puzzle  thee  with  election,  say 
thou,  I  cannot  attend  to  talk  of  this  point  now,  but  stay  till 
I  know  that  I  am  called  of  God  to  the  fellowship  of  his 
Son,  and  then  I  will  shew  you  that  I  am  elect,  and  that 
my  name  is  written  in  the  book  of  life. 

If  poor  distressed  souls  would  observe  this  order,  they 
might  save  themselves  the  trouble  of  an  unprofitable  la- 
bour under  these  unreasonable  and  soul-sinking  doubts. 

Let  us  therefore,  upon  the  sight  of  our  wretchedness,  fly 
and  venturously  leap  into  the  arms  of  Christ,  which  are 
now  as  open  to  receive  us  into  his  bosom,  as  they  were 
when  nailed  to  the  cross.  This  is  coming  to  Christ  for 
life  aright ;  this  is  right  running  away  from  thy  master  to 
him,  as  was  said  before.  And  for  this  we  have  multitudes 
of  scriptures  to  support,  encourage,  and  comfort  us  in  our 
so  doing. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  89 

But  now,  let  him  that  doth  thus  be  sure  to  look  for  it, 
for  Satan  will  be  with  him  to-morrow,  to  see  if  he  can  get 
him  again  to  his  old  service  ;  and  if  he  cannot  do  that, 
then  will  he  enter  into  dispute  with  him,  to  wit,  about 
whether  he  be  elect  to  life,  and  called  indeed  to  partake  of 
this  Christ,  to  whom  he  is  fled  for  succour,  or  whether  he 
comes  to  him  of  his  own  presumptuous  mind.  Therefore 
we  are  bid,  as  to  come,  so  to  arm  ourselves  with  that  ar- 
mour which  God  has  provided ;  that  we  may  resist, 
quench,  stand  against,  and  withstand  all  the  fiery  darts  of 
the  devil;  Eph.  vi.  11-18.' 

If,  therefore,  thou  fmdest  Satan  in  this  order  to  march 
against  thee,  remember  then  thou  hadst  this  item  about  it ; 
and  betake  thyself  to  faith  and  good  courage  ;  and  be 
sober,  and  hope  to  the  end. 

Object.  But  how  if  I  should  have  sinned  the  sin  unpar- 
donable, or  that  called  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 

Answer,  If  thou  hast,  thou  art  lost  for  ever  ;  but  yet 
before  it  is  concluded  by  thee  that  thou  has*  so  sinned, 
know  that  they  that  would  be  saved  by  Jesus  Christ 
through  faith  in  his  blood,  cannot  be  counted  for  such. 

1.  Because  of  the  promise,  for  that  must  not  be  frus- 
trated :  and  that  says,  "  And  him  that  cometh  to  Christ,  he 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  And  again,  "  Whoso  will,  let 
him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely  ;"  John  vi.  37  ;  Rev. 
xxi.  6  ;  chap.  xxii.  17. 

But  I  say,  how  can  these  scriptures  be  fulfilled,  if  he 
that  would  indeed  be  saved,  as  before,  has  sinned  the  sin 
unpardonable  ?  The  scriptures  must  not  be  made  void, 
nor  their  truth  be  cast  to  the  ground.  Here  is  a  promise, 
and  here  is  a  sinner  ;  a  promise  that  says  he  shall  not  be 
cast  out  that  comes  ;  and  the  sinner  comes,  wherefore  he 
mus1>  be  received  :  consequently  he  that  comes  to  Christ 
for  life,  has  not,  cannot  have  sinned  that  sin  for  which  there 
is  no  forgiveness. 

And  this  might  suffice  for  an  answer  to  any  coming 
soul,  that  fears,  though  he  comes,  that  he  has  sinned  the 
sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 


90  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

2.  But  again,  he  that  has  sinned  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  cannot  come,  has  no  heart  to  come,  can  by  no 
means  he  made  willing  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ  for  life  ; 
for  that  he  has  received  such  an  opinion  of  him,  and  of  his 
things,  as  deters  and  holds  him  back. 

1.  He  counteth  this  blessed  person,  the  Son  of  God,  a 
magician,  a  conjuror,  a  witch,  or  one  that  did,  when  he 
was  in  the  world,  what  he  did  by  the  power  and  spirit  of 
the  devil ;  Matt.  ix.  34 ;  chap.  xii.  24,  25,  &c.  ;  Mark  iii. 
22-30.  Now  he  that  has  this  opinion  of  this  Jesus,  can- 
not be  willing  to  cast  himself  at  his  feet  for  life,  or  to 
come  to  him  as  the  only  way  to  God  and  to  salvation. 
And  hence  it  is  said  again,  that  such  an  one  puts  him  to 
open  shame,  and  treadeth  him  under  foot,  that  is,  by  con- 
temning, reproaching,  vilifying,  and  despising  of  him,  as  if 
he  were  the  vilest  one,  or  the  greatest  cheat  .in  the  world : 
and  has  therefore,  as  to  his  esteem  of  him,  called  him  ac- 
cursed, crucified  him  to  himself,  or  counted  him  one  hang- 
ed, as  one  o/  the  worst  of  malefactors  ;  Heb.  vi.  6  ;  chap, 
x.  29  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  3. 

2.  His  blood,  which  is  the  meritorious  cause  of  man's  re- 
demption, even  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  he 
counteth  an  unholy  thing,  or  that  which  has  no  more  vir- 
tue in  it  to  save  a  soul  from  sin  than  has  the  blood  of  a 
dog  ;  Heb.  x.  29.  For  when  the  Apostle  says,  "  he  counts 
it  an  unholy  thing,"  he  means,  he  makes  it  of  less  value 
than  that  of  a  sheep  or  cow,  which  were  clean  according  to 
the  law  ;  and  therefore  must  mean,  that  his  blood  was  of 
no  more  worth  to  him  in  his  account  than  was  the  blood 
of  a  dog,  an  ass,  or  a  swine,  which  always  was,  as  to  sacri- 
fices, rejected  by  the  God  of  heaven,  as  unholy  or  unclean. 

Now  he  who  has  no  better  esteem  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
of  his  death  and  blood,  will  not  be  persuaded  to  come  to 
him  for  life,  or  to  trust  in  him  for  salvation. 

3.  But  further,  all  this  must  be  done  against  manifest 
tokens  to  prove  the  contrary,  or  after  the  shining  of  gospel 
light  upon  the  soul,  or  some  considerable  profession  of  him 
as  the  Messias,  or  that  he  was  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 


THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED.  91 

1.  It  must  be  done  against  manifest  tokens  to  prove  the 
contrary  ;  and  thus  the  reprobate  Jews  committed  it  when 
they  saw  the  works  of  God,  which  put  forth  themselves  in 
him,  and  called  them  the  works  of  the  devil  and  Beelzebub. 

2.  It  must  be  done  against  some  shining  light  of  the  gos- 
pel upon  them.  And  thus  it  was  with  Judas,  and  with 
those  who,  after  they  were  enlightened,  and  had  tasted,  and 
had  felt  something  of  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,  fell 
away  from  the  faith  of  him,  and  put  him  to  open  shame 
and  disgrace  ;  Heb.  vi.  5,  6. 

3.  It  must  also  be  done  after,  and  in  opposition  to  one's 
own  open  profession  of  him.  "  For  if  after  they  have  escaped 
the  pollution  of  the  world,  through  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  they  are  again  entangled 
therein,  and  overcome,  the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them 
than  the  beginning  ;  for  it  had  been  better  for  them  not  to 
have  known  the  way  of  righteousness,  than  after  they  have 
known  it,  to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment  (which  is 
the  word  of  faith)  delivered  unto  them." 

4.  All  this  must  be  done  openly,  before  witnesses,  in  the 
face,  sight,  and  view  of  the  world,  by  word  and  act.  This 
is  the  sin  that  is  unpardonable ;  and  he  that  hath  thus 
done,  can  never,  it  is  impossible  he  ever  should  be  renewed 
again  to  repentance,  and  that  for  a  double  reason  ;  for  such 
an  one  doth  say,  he  will  not ;  and  of  him  God  says,  he  shall 
not  have  the  benefit  of  salvation  by  him. 

Object.  But  if  this  be  the  sin  unpardonable,  why  is  it 
called  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  not  rather  the 
sin  against  the  Son  of  God  1 

Aiisw.  It  is  called  "  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  be- 
cause such  count  the  works  he  did,  which  were  done  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  the  works  of  the  spirit  of  the  devil.  Also  be- 
cause all  such  as  so  reject  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  they  do 
it  in  despite  of  that  testimony  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
given  of  him  in  the  holy  scriptures  ;  for  the  scriptures  are 
the  breathings  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  in  all  other  things,  so 
in  that  testimony  they  bear  of  the  person,  of  the  works, 
sufferings,  resurrection,  and  ascension  of  Jesus  Christ. 


92  THE  JERUSALEM  SINNER  SAVED. 

Sinner,  this  is  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  What 
say st  thou  ?  Hast  thou  committed  it  ?  Nay,  I  know  thou 
hast  not,  if  thou  wourdst  he  saved  hy  Christ,  Yea,  it  is 
impossible  that  thou  shouldst  have  done  it,  if  indeed  thou 
wouldst  he  saved  hy  him. 

No  man  can  desire  to  be  saved  hy  him,  whom  he  yet 
judgeth  to  he  an  impostor,  a  magician,  a  witch.  No  man 
can  hope  for  redemption  hy  that  blood  which  he  yet  count- 
eth  an  unholy  thing.  Nor  will  God  ever  suffer  such  an  one 
to  repent,  who  has,  after  light  and  profession  of  him,  thus 
horribly  and  devil-like  contemned  and  trampled  upon  him. 

True,  words  and  wars  and  blasphemies  against  this  Son 
of  man  are  pardonable  ;  but  then  they  must  be  done  igno- 
rantly  and  in  unbelief.  Also  all  blasphemous  thoughts  are 
likewise  such  as  may  be  passed  by,  if  the  soul  afflicted  with 
them  indeed  is  sorry  for  them;  1  Tim.  i.  13-15;  Mar. 
iii.  28. 

All  but  this,  sinner,  all  but  this  !  If  God  had  said,  he  will 
forgive  one  sin,  it  had  been  undeserved  grace  ;  but  when  he 
says  he  will  pardon  all  but  one,  this  is  grace  to  the  height. 
Nor  is  that  one  unpardonable  otherwise,  but  because  the 
Saviour  that  should  save  them  is  rejected  and  put  away. 

We  read  of  Jacob's  ladder ;  Christ  is  Jacob's  ladder  that 
reacheth  up  to  heaven,  and  he  that  refuseth  to  go  by  this 
ladder  thither,  will  scarce  by  other  means  get  up  so  high. 
There  is  none  other  name  given  under  heaven  among  men 
whereby  we  must  be  saved.  There  is  none  other  sacrifice 
for  sin  than  this  ;  he  also,  and  he  only,  is  the  Mediator  that 
reconcileth  men  to  God.  And,  sinner,  if  thou  wouldst  be 
saved  by  him,  his  benefits  are  thine  ;  yea,  though  thou  art 
a  great  and  Jerusalem  transgressor. 


THE 


PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 


THE 


PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 


Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray  ,•  the  one  a  Pharisee,  and  the  other 
a  Publican.  The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself;  God,  I 
thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers, 
or  even  as  this  Publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I 
possess.  And  the  Publican,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as 
his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner. — Luke,  xviii.  10-13. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  you  read  of  the  reason  of 
the  parable  of  the  unjust  judge  and  the  poor  widow ;  namely, 
to  encourage  men  to  pray.  "  He  spake  a  parable  to  this 
end,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint ;"  and 
a  most  sweet  parable  for  that  purpose  it  is :  for  if  through 
importunity,  a  poor  widow  woman  may  prevail  with  an  un- 
just judge,  and  so  consequently  with  an  unmerciful  and 
hard-hearted  tyrant,  how  much  more  shall  the  poor,  afflicted, 
distressed,  and  tempted  people  of  God,  prevail  with,  and 
obtain  mercy  at  the  hands  of,  a  loving,  just,  and  merciful 
God  1  The  unjust  judge  would  not  hearken  to,  nor  regard 
the  cry  of,  the  poor  widow,  for  a  while  :  "  But  afterward 
he  said  within  himself,  Though  I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard 
man ;  yet  because  this  widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge 
her,  lest  by  her  continual  coming  she  weary  me."  "  Hark," 
saith  Christ,  "  what  the  unjust  judge  saith."     "  And  shall 


96  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

not  God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which  cry  day  and  night 
unto  him  '? — I  tell  you  that  he  will  avenge  them  speedily." 

This  is  therefore  a  very  comfortahle  parable  to  such  of 
the  saints  as  are  under  hard  usage  by  reason  of  evil  men, 
their  might  and  tyranny  :  for  by  it  we  are  taught  to  be- 
lieve and  expect,  that  God,  though  for  a  while  he  seemeth 
not  to  regard,  yet  will,  in  due  time  and  season,  arise  and 
set  such  in  safety  from  them  that  puff  at  them ;  Psalm 
xii.  4. 

Let  the  good  Christian  pray  always  ;  let  him  pray,  and 
not  faint  at  seeming  delays  ;  for  if  the  widow  by  impor- 
tunity prevailed  with  the  unjust  judge,  how  much  more 
shall  he  with  his  heavenly  Father.  "  I  tell  you,"  says 
Christ,  "  that  he  will  avenge  them  speedily." 

But  now,  forasmuch  as  this  parable  reacheth  not  (so  di- 
rectly) the  poor  Publican  in  the  text,  therefore  our  Lord 
begins  again,  and  adds  to  that  other  parable,'  this  parable 
which  I  have  chosen  for  my  text  ;  by  which  he  designeth 
two  things  :  First,  The  conviction  of  the  proud  and  self- 
conceited  Pharisee  :  Secondly,  The  raising  up  and  healing 
of  the  cast  down  and  dejected  Publican.  And  observe  it, 
as  by  the  first  parable  he  chiefly  designeth  the  relief  of 
those  that  are  under  the  hands  of  cruel  tyrants,  so  by  this 
he  designeth  the  relief  of  those  that  lie  under  the  load  and 
burden  of  a  guilty  and  disquieted  conscience. 

This  therefore  is  a  parable  that  is  full  of  singular  com- 
fort to  such  of  the  sinners  in  the  world  that  are  clogged 
with  guilt  and  sense  of  sin  ;  and  that  lie  under  the  appre- 
hensions of,  and  that  are  driven  to  God  by  the  sense  of  the 
judgment  that  for  sin  is  due  unto  them. 

In  my  handling  of  this  text,  I  shall  have  respect  to  these 
things — 

1.  To  the  persons  in  the  text. 

2.  To  the  condition  of  the  persons  in  the  text. 

3.  To  the  conclusion  that  Christ  makes  upon  them  both. 
First,  For  the  persons.     They  were,  as  you  see,  far  one 

from  another  in  their  own  apprehension  of  themselves  ; 
one  good,  the  other  bad  ;  but  yet  in  the  judgment  of  the 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  97 

law,  both  alike,  both  the  same,  both  sinners  ;  for  they  both 
stood  in  need  of  mercy.  True,  the  first  mentioned  did  not 
see  it,  as  the  other  poor  sinner  did  ;  but  that  altereth  not 
the  case  :  he  that  is  in  the  judgment  of  the  law  a  sinner,  is 
in  the  judgment  of  the  law  for  sin  condemned,  though  in 
his  own  judgment  he  be  ever  so  righteous. 

Men  must  not  be  judged,  or  justified,  according  to  what 
themselves  do  think,  but  according  to  the  verdict  and  sen- 
tence that  cometh  out  of  the  mouth  of  God  about  them. 
Now,  the  sentence  of  God  is,  "  All  have  sinned  :"  "  There 
is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one  ;"  Rom.  iii.  It  is  no  matter, 
then,  what  the  Pharisee  did  think  of  himself ;  God  by  his 
word  hath  proclaimed  him  a  sinner :  a  sinner,  by  reason  of 
original  sin  ;  a  sinner,  by  reason  of  actual  transgression. 
Personally,  therefore,  with  reference  to  the  true  nature  of 
their  state,  they  both  were  sinners,  and  both  by  the  law 
under  condemnation.  True,  the  Publican's  leprosy  was 
outward  ;  but  the  Pharisee's  leprosy  was  inward  :  his  heart, 
his  soul,  his  spirit,  was  as  foul,  and  had  as  much  the  plague 
of  sin,  as  had  the  other  in  his  life  or  conversation. 

Secondly,  As  to  their  conditions  (I  do  not  mean  by  con- 
dition, so  much  a  habit  of  mind,  as  the  state  that  they  had 
each  of  them  put  themselves  into  by  that  mind.)  "  The 
one,"  says  the  text,  "  was  a  Pharisee,  the  other  a  Publican." 
A  Pharisee  :  that  is,  one  that  hath  chosen  to  himself  such 
a  course  of  life.  A  Publican  :  that  is,  one  that  hath  chosen 
to  himself  such  a  course  of  life.  These  terms,  therefore,  shew 
the  divers  courses  of  life  that  they  had  put  themselves  into. 
The  Pharisee,  as  he  thought,  had  put  himself  into  a  condition 
for  heaven  and  glory  ;  but  the  Publican  was  for  this  world 
and  his  lusts.  Wherefore  when  the  Pharisee  stands  in  the 
temple,  he  boasteth  of  himself  and  good  condition,  but  con- 
demneth  the  Publican,  and  bitterly  inveigheth  against  him. 
But,  as  I  said,  their  personal  state,  by  the  law,  was  not  at 
all  changed.  The  Pharisee  made  himself  never  the  better  ; 
the  Publican  also  abode  in  his  place. 

Indeed  the  Publican  is  here  found  to  recant,  and  repent 
of  his  condition,  and  of  the  condition  that  he  had  put  him- 


98  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

self  into  ;  and  the  Pharisee  to  boast  of  his.  But  the  Pub- 
lican's repentance  was  not  of  himself,  but  of.  God,  who  can 
also,  yea,  and  sometimes  it  is  evident  (Acts  ix.)  he  doth, 
make  Pharisees  also  repent  of  that  condition  that  they  have 
chosen  to  be  in  themselves  ;  Phil.  iii.  3-8.  The  Pharisee, 
therefore,  in  commending  of  himself,  makes  himself  never 
the  better ;  the  Publican  also,  in  condemning  of  himself, 
makes  himself  never  the  worse.  Nay,  contrariwise,  the 
Pharisee,  by  commending  of  himself,  makes  himself  much 
the  worse,  ver.  14  ;  and  the  Publican,  by  condemning  of 
himself,  makes  himself  much  the  better.  "  I  tell  you  (says 
Christ)  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather 
than  the  other ;  for  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall 
be  abased  :  and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted." 

But,  I  say,  as  to  men's  commending  of  themselves,  yea, 
though  others  should  commend  them  also,  that  availeth, 
to  God- ward,  nothing  at  all.  "  For  not  he  that  commendeth 
himself  is  approved,  but  whom  the  Lord  commendeth." 
So  then,  men  in  "  measuring  themselves  by  themselves, 
and  comparing  themselves  among  themselves,  are  not  wise ;" 
2  Cor.  x.  12. 

Now,  this  was  the  way  of  the  Pharisee  ;  I  am  not,  saith 
he,  as  other  men  :  I  am  no  extortioner,  nor  unjust,  no  adul- 
terer, nor  yet  as  this  Publican. 

"  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray  ;"  and  they 
two,  as  I  said,  as  opposite  one  to  the  other,  as  any  two 
men  that  ever  went  thither  to  pray.  One  of  them  was 
over  righteous,  and  the  other  wicked  over  much.  Some 
would  have  thought,  had  they  not  by  the  word  of  Christ 
been  otherwise  described,  that  they  had  been  both  of  the 
same  religion  ;  for  they  both  went  up  into  the  temple  to 
pray  ;  yea,  both  to  pray,  and  that  at  the  same  time,  as  if 
they  did  it  by  appointment,  by  agreement ;  but  there  was 
no  such  thing.  The  one  was  a  Pharisee,  the  other  a  Pub- 
lican :  for  so  saith  the  after  words  :  and  therefore  persons 
as  opposite  as  light  and  darkness,  as  fire  and  water  ;  I  mean, 
as  to  their  apprehensions  one  of  another.  The  Pharisee 
could  not  abide  the  Publican,  nor  could  the  Publican  brook 


TiJE  PHARISEE  AND   THE  PUBLICAN.  90 

tlie  Pharisee  ;  and  yet  both  went  up  into  the  temple  to 
pray.  It  is  strange  to  see,  and  yet  it  is  seen,  that  men  cross 
in  their  minds,  cross  in  their  principles,  cross  in  their  ap- 
prehensions ;  yea,  and  cross  in  their  prayers  too,  should  yet 
meet  together  in  the  temple  to  pray. 

"  Two  men  ;"  men  not  of  the  middle  sort,  and  them  too 
picked  out  of  the  best  and  worst  that  was :  two  men,  a 
Pharisee,  and  a  Publican. 

To  be  a  Pharisee  was  in  those  days  counted  honourable 
for  religion,  and  for  holiness  of  life.  A  Pharisee  was  a 
man  of  esteem  and  repute  among  the  Jews,  though  it  is  a 
term  of  reproach  with  us  ;  else  Paul  would  not  at  such  a 
time  as  he  did  it,  have  said,  "  Men  and  brethren,  I  am  a 
Pharisee,  the  son  of  a  Pharisee  ;"  Acts  xxiii,  6  ;  Phil.  iii.  5. 
For  now  he  stood  upon  his  purgation  and  justification,  es- 
pecially it  appears  so  by  the  place  first  named.  And  far  be 
it  from  any  to  think,  that  Paul  would  make  use  of  a  colour 
of  wickedness,  to  save  thereby  himself  from  the  fury  of  the 
people. 

A  Publican  was  in  those  days  counted  one  of  the  vilest 
of  men,  as  is  manifest  ;  because  when  they  are  in  the  word, 
by  way  of  discrimination,  made  mention  of,  they  are  ranked 
with  the  most  vile  and  base  ;  therefore  they  are  joined  with 
sinners — "  He  eateth  with  publicans  and  sinners,"  and 
"  with  harlots."  "  Publicans  and  harlots  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  Yea,  when  our  Lord  Christ  would 
have  the  rebellious  professor  stigmatized  to  purpose,  he 
saith,  "Let  him  be  to  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  pub- 
lican." 

We  therefore  can  make  no  judgment  of  men  upon  the 
outward  appearance  of  them.  Who  would  have  thought, 
but  that  the  Pharisee  had  been  a  good  man  ?  for  he  was 
righteous  ;  for  he  prayed.  And  who  could  have  thought, 
that  the  other  had  been  a  good  man  ?  for  he  was  a  Publican  ; 
a  man,  by  good  men  and  bad  men,  joined  with  the  worst  of 
men,  to  wit,  with  sinners,  harlots,  heathens. 

The  Pharisee  was  a  sectarian  ;  the  Publican  was  an 
officer.     The  Pharisee,  even  because  he  was  a  sectarian, 


100  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

was  had  the  more  in  esteem  ;  and  the  Publican,  because  he 
was  an  officer,  was  had  the  more  in  reproach.  To  speak  a 
little  to  both  these  : 

1.  The  Pharisee  was  a  sectarian  ;  one  that  deviated,  that 
turned  aside  in  his  worshipping  from  the  way  of  God,  both 
in  matter  and  manner  of  worship  ;  for  such,  an  one  I  count 
a  sectarian.  That  he  turned  aside  from  the  matter,  which 
is  the  rule  of  worship,  to  wit,  the  written  word,  it  is  evi- 
dent ;  for  Christ  saith,  that  they  rejected  the  command- 
ments of  God,  and  made  them  of  no  effect,  that  they  might 
keep  their  own  traditions.  That  they  turned  aside  also  as 
to  their  manner  of  worship,  and  became  sectarians,  there 
is  with  no  less  authority  asserted — "For  all  their  works 
they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men  ;"  Acts  xxvi.  5  ;  Mark  vii. 
9-13  ;  Matt,  xxiii.  5. 

Now  this  being  none  of  the  order  or  ordinance  of  Christ, 
and  yet  being  chosen  by,  and  stuck  to  of  these  sort  of  men, 
and  also  made  a  singular  and  necessary  part  of  worship, 
became  a  sect,  or  bottom  for  those  hypocritical  factious  men 
to  adhere  unto,  and  to  make  of  others  disciples  to  them- 
selves. And  that  they  might  be  admired,  and  rendered 
venerable  by  the  simple  people  to  their  fellows,  they  loved 
to  go  in  long  robes  ;  they  loved  to  pray  in  markets,  and  in 
the  corners  of  the  streets ;  they  shewed  great  zeal  for  the 
small  things  of  the  law,  but  had  only  great  words  for  things 
that  were  substantial — "They  made  broad  their  phylacteries, 
and  enlarged  the  borders  of  their  garments  ;"  Matt,  xxiii. 

When  I  say  the  Pharisee  was  a  sectarian,  I  do  not  mean 
that  every  sectarian  is  a  Pharisee.  There  were  the  sects  of 
the  llerodians,  of  the  Alexandrians,  and  of  the  Sadducees, 
with  many  others  ;  but  to  be  a  Pharisee,  was  to  be  of  the 
straitest  sect  :  "  After  the  most  straitest  sect  of  our  religion, 
I  lived  a  Pharisee."  That,  therefore,  of  all  the  sects,  was  the 
most  strait  and  strict.  Therefore,  saith  he,  in  another 
place,  "  I  was  'taught  according  to  the  perfect  manner  of 
the  law  of  the  fathers."  And  again,  "  Touching  the  law,  a 
Pharisee  ;"  Acts  xxii.  3  ;  xxvi.  4-6  ;  Phil.  iii.  5.  The 
Pharisee,  therefore,  did  carry  the  bell,  and  wear  the  garland 


THE  niARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  101 

for  religion  ;  for  he  outdid,  he  went  beyond  all  other  secta- 
rians in  his  day.  lie  was  strictest,  he  was  the  most  zea- 
lous ;  therefore  Christ,  in  his  making  of  this  parable,  waived 
all  other  sects  then  in  being,  and  pitched  upon  the  Pharisee 
as  the  man  most  meet,  by  whose  rejection  he  might  shew 
forth  s.nd  demonstrate  the  riches  of  his  mercy  in  its  exten- 
sion to  sinners  :  "  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to 
pray  ;  the  one  a  Pharisee  :"  such  a  brave  man  as  you  have 
heard. 

2.  The  Publican  also  went  up  thither  to  pray.  The 
Publican,  I  told  you  before,  was  an  officer  :  an  officer 
that  served  the  Romans  and  himself  too  ;  for  the  Romans 
at  that  time  were  possessors  of  the  land  of  Jewry  (the  lot 
of  Israel's  inheritance),  and  the  emperor  Tiberius  Csesar 
placed  over  that  land  four  governors,  to  wit,  Pilate,  Herod, 
Philip,  and  Lysanias  ;  all  these  were  Gentiles,  heathens,  in- 
fidels ;  and  the  publicans  were  a  sort  of  inferior  men,  to 
whom  was  let  out  to  farm,  and  so  men  that  were  employed 
by  these  to  gather  up  the  taxes  and  customs  that  the 
heathens  had  laid  upon  the  Jews  to  be  paid  to  the  emperor  ; 
Luke  ii.  1  ;  iii.  1,  2,  12,  13. 

But  they  were  a  generation  of  men  that  were  very  inju- 
rious in  the  execution  of  their  office.  They  would  exact 
and  demand  more  than  was  due  of  the  people  ;  yea,  and  if 
their  demands  were  denied,  they  would  falsely  accuse  those 
that  so  denied  them  to  the  governor,  and  by  false  accusation 
obtain  the  money  of  the  people,  and  so  wickedly  enrich 
themselves,  Luke  iii.  13,  14 ;  xix.  2,  8.  This  was  there- 
fore grievous  to  the  Jews,  who  always  counted  themselves 
a  free  people,  and  could  never  abide  to  be  in  bondage  to 
any.  And  this  was  something  of  the  reason,  that  they 
were  so  generally  by  all  the  Jews  counted  so  vile  and  base, 
and  reckoned  among  the  worst  of  men,  even  as  our  in- 
formers and  bum-bailiffs  are  with  us  at  this  day. 

But  that  which  heightened  the  spirit  of  the  people  against 
them,  and  that  made  them  so  odious  and  filthy  in  their  eyes, 
Avas  for  that  (at  least  so  I  think)  these  publicans  were  not, 
as  the  other  officers,  aliens,  heathens,  and  Gentiles,  but  men 


102  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

of  their  own  nation,  Jews,  and  so  the  brethren  of  those  that 
they  so  abused.  Had  they  been  Gentiles,  it  had  not  been 
wondered  at. 

The  Publican  then  was  a  Jew,  a  kind  of  a  renegade  Jew , 
that  through  the  love  that  he  had  to  unjust  gains,  fell  off 
in  his  affections  from  his  brethren,  adhered  to  the  Romans, 
and  became  a  kind  of  servant  to  them  against  their  breth- 
ren, farming  the  heathenish  taxations  at  the  hand  of 
strangers,  and  exacting  of  them  upon  their  brethren  with 
much  cruelty,  falsehood,  and  extortion.  And  hence,  as  I 
said,  it  was,  that  to  be  a  publican,  was  to  be  so  odious  a 
thing,  so  vile  a  sinner,  and  so  grievous  a  man  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Jews.  Why,  this  was  the  Publican  !  he  was  a  Jew, 
and  so  should  have  abode  with  them,  and  have  been  con- 
tent to  share  with  his  brethren  in  their  calamities  ;  but 
contrary  to  nature,  to  law,  to  religion,  reason,  and  honesty, 
he  fell  in  with  the  heathen,  and  took  the  advantage  of 
their  tyranny  to  poll,  to  rob,  and  impoverish  his  brethren. 

But  for  proof  that  the  Publican  was  a  Jew. 

1.  Publicans  are,  even  then,  when  compared  with,  yet 
distinguished  from,  the  heathen  ;  "  Let  him  be  to  thee  as  an 
heathen  man  and  a  publican,"  Matt,  xviii.  ;  which  two 
terms,  I  think,  must  not  here  be  applied  to  one  and  the 
self-same  man,  as  if  the  heathen  was  a  publican,  or  the 
publican  a  heathen  ;  but  to  men  of  two  distinct  nations,  as 
that  publican  and  harlot  is  to  be  understood  of  sinners  of 
both  sexes.  The  Publican  is  not  an  harlot,  for  he  is  a  man, 
&c,  and  such  a  man  as  has  been  described  before.  So  bv 
publicans  and  sinners,  is  meant  publicans  and  such  sinners 
as  the  Gentiles  were  ;  or  such  as,  by  the  text,  the  Publican 
is  distinguished  from  :  where  the  Pharisee  saith  he  was  not 
an  extortioner,  unjust,  adulterer,  or  even  as  this  Publican. 
Nor  can  he  by  lt  heathen  man"  intend  the  person,  and  by 
the  term  publican,  the  office  or  place,  of  the  heathen  man  ; 
but  by  publican  is  meant  the  renegade  Jew,  in  such  a 
place,  &c,  as  is  yet  further  manifested  by  that  which  fol- 
lows.    For — 

2.  Those  publicans,  even  every  one  of  them  that  by  name 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAX.  103 

are  made  mention  of  in  the  New  Testament,  have  such  names 
put  upon  them  ;  yea,  and  other  circumstances  thereunto 
annexed,  as  doth  demonstrate  them  to  be  Jews.  I  remem- 
ber the  names  of  no  more  but  three,  to  wit,  Matthew,  Levi, 
and  Zaccheus,  and  they  were  all  Jews. 

(1.)  Matthew  was  a  Jew,  and  the  same  Matthew  was  a 
publican  ;  yea,  and  also  afterwards  an  apostle.  He  was  a 
Jew,  and  wrote  his  gospel  in  Hebrew  :  he  was  an  apostle, 
and  is  therefore  found  among  the  twelve.  That  he  was  a 
publican  too,  is  as  evident  by  his  own  words  ;  for  though 
Mark  and  Luke,  in  their  mentioning  of  his  name  and  apos- 
tleship,  do  forbear  to  call  him  a  publican  (Mark  iii.  18  ; 
Luke  vi.  15)  ;  yet  when  this  Matthew  comes  to  speak  of 
himself,  he  calls  himself  Matthew  the  publican  (Matth.  x. 
3)  ;  for  I  count  this  the  self-same  Matthew  that  Mark  and 
Luke  make  mention  of,  because  I  find  no  other  Matthew 
among  the  apostles  but  he  :  Matthew  the  publican,  Mat- 
thew the  man  so  deep  in  apostacy,  Matthew  the  man  of 
that  ill  fame  among  his  brethren.  Love,  in  Mark  and 
Luke,  when  they  counted  him  among  the  apostles,  did  cover 
with  silence  this  his  publican  state  (and  it  is  meet  for  Pe- 
ter to  call  Paul  his  beloved  brother,  when  Paul  himself  shall 
call  himself  the  chief  of  sinners)  ;  but  faithfulness  to  the 
world,  and  a  desire  to  be  abased,  that  Christ  thereby,  and 
grace  by  him,  might  be  advanced,  made  Matthew,  in  his 
evangelical  writings,  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Matthew 
the  publican.  Nor  has  he  lost  thereby ;  for  Christ  again 
to  exalt  him  (as  he  hath  also  done  by  the  apostle  Paul), 
hath  set,  by  his  special  providence,  the  testimony  that  this 
Matthew  hath  given  of  his  birth,  life,  death,  doctrine,  an^ 
miracles,  in  the  front  of  all  the  New  Testament. 

(2.)  The  next  publican  that  I  find  by  the  Testament  of 
Christ,  made  mention  of  by  name,  is  Levi,  another  of  the 
apostles  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  Levi  also,  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  holy  writ,  is  called  by  the  name  of  James  :  not  James 
the  brother  of  John,  for  Zebedee  was  his  father  ;  but  James 
the  son  of  Alpheus.  Now  I  take  this  Levi  also  to  be  an- 
other than  Matthew  ;  First,  because  Matthew  is  not  called 


104  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

the  son  of  Alpheus  ;  and  because  Matthew  and  Levi,  or 
James  the  son  of  Alpheus,  are  distinctly  counted  where  the 
names  of  the  apostles  are  mentioned  (Matt.  x.  3)  for  two 
distinct  persons  :  and  that  this  Levi,  or  James  the  apostle, 
was  a  publican,  as  was  the  apostle  Matthew,  whom  we. 
mentioned  before,  is  evident ;  for  both  Mark  and  Luke  do 
count  him  such.  First,  Mark  saith,  Christ  found  him  when 
he  called  him,  as  he  also  found  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  re- 
ceipt of  custom  ;  yea,  Luke  words  it  thus  :  "  He  went  forth, 
and  saw  a  publican,  named  Levi,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of 
custom,  and  he  said  unto  him,  Follow  me ;"  Mark  ii.  14  ; 
Luke  v.  27. 

Now,  that  this  Levi,  or  James  the  son  of  Alpheus,  was  a 
Jew,  his  name  doth  well  make  manifest.  Besides,  had  there 
been  among  the  apostles  any  more  Gentiles  save  Simon  the 
Canaanite,  or  if  this  Levi  James  had  been  here,  I  think  the 
Holy  Ghost  would,  to  distinguish  him,  have  included  him 
in  the  same  discriminating  character  as  he  did  the  other, 
when  he  called  him  "  Simon  the  Canaanite  ;"  Matt.  x.  4. 

Matthew,  therefore,  and  Levi  or  James,  were  both  pub- 
licans, and,  as  I  think,  called  both  at  the  same  time  ;  were 
both  publican  Jews,  and  made  by  grace  the  apostles  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

(3.)  The  next  publican  that  I  find  by  name  made  men- 
tion of  in  the  Testament  of  Christ,  is  one  Zaccheus.  And 
he  was  a  publican  ;  yea,  for  ought  I  know,  the  master  of 
them  all.  "  There  was  a  man,"  saith  Luke,  "  named  Zac- 
cheus, which  was  the  chief  among  the  publicans,  and  he 
was  rich,"  Luke  xix.  2.  This  man,  Christ  saith,  was  a  son 
of  Abraham,  that  is,  as  other  Jews  were  ;  for  he  spake  to 
stop  the  mouths  of  their  Pharisaical  cavillations.  Besides, 
the  Publican  shewed  himself  to  be  such  an  one,  when  un- 
der a  supposition  of  wronging  any  man,  he  had  respect  to 
the  Jewish  law  of  restoring  four-fold  ;  Exod.  xxii.  1  ;  2 
Sam.  xii.  6. 

It  is  further  manifest  that  he  was  a  Jew,  because  Christ 
puts  him  among  the  lost ;  to  wit,  among  the  lost  sheep  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  105 

the  house  of  Israel,  ver.  10  ;  and  Mat^  xv.  24  ;  for  Zacchcus 
was  one  that  might  properly  be  said  to  be  lost,  and  that  in 
the  Jews'  account :  lost,  I  say,  and  that  not  only  in  the  most 
common  sense,  by  reason  of  transgression  against  the  law, 
hut  for  that  he  was  an  apostate  Jew,  not  with  reference  to 
heathenish  religion,  but  as  to  heathenish,  cruel,  and  bar- 
barous actions  ;  and  therefore  he  was,  as  the  other,  by  his 
brethren,  counted  as  bad  as  heathens,  Gentiles,  and  harlots. 
But  salvation  is  come  to  this  house,  saith  Christ,  and  that 
notwithstanding  his  publican  practice,  forasmuch  as  he  also 
is  the  son  of  Abraham. 

3.  Again,  Christ,  by  the  parable  of  the  lost  sh#ep,  doth 
plainly  intimate,  that  the  Publican  was  a  Jew.  "  Then 
drew  near  all  the  publicans  and  sinners  for  to  hear  him,  and 
the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  murmured,  saying,  This  man  re- 
ceiveth  sinners,  and  eateth  with  them." 

But  by  what  answer  doth  Christ  repel  their  objections  1 
Why,  he  saith,  "  What  man  of  you  having  an  hundred 
sheep,  if  he  lose  one  of  them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and 
nine  in  the  wilderness,  and  go  after  that  which  is  lost  until 
he  find  it  ?"  Doth  he  not  here,  by  the  lost  sheep,  mean 
the  poor  publican  ?  plenty  of  whom,  while  he  preached 
this  sermon,  were  there,  as  objects  of  the  Pharisees'  scorn, 
but  of  the  pity  and  compassion  of  Jesus  Christ :  he  did 
without  doubt  mean  them.  For,  pray,  what  was  the  flock, 
and  who  Christ's  sheep  under  the  law,  but  the  house  and 
people  of  Israel  ?  Ezek.  xxxiv.  11.  So  then,  who  could  be 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  but  such  as  were  Mat- 
thew, James,  Zaccheus,  and  their  companions  in  their  and 
such  like  transgressions  % 

4.  Besides,  had  not  the  publicans  been  of  the  Jews,  how 
easy  had  it  been  for  the  Pharisees  to  have  objected,  that  an 
impertinency  was  couched  in  that  most  excellent  parable 
of  the  lost  sheep  ?  They  might  have  said,  We  are  offended, 
because  thou  receivest  the  publicans,  and  thou  for  vindica- 
tion of  thy  practice  propoundest  a  parable  of  lost  sheep  ; 
but  they  are  the  sinners  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  the 
publicans   are  aliens  and   Gentiles.       I  say,  how    easily 


106  TBjk  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

might  they  thus  have  objected  1  but  they  knew  full  well, 
that  the  parable  was  pertinent,  for  that  the  publicans  were 
of  the  Jews,  and  not  of  the  aliens.  Yea,  had  they  not  been 
Jews,  it  cannot,  it  must  not  be  thought,  that  Christ  (in 
sum)  should  call  them  so  ;  and  yet  he  did  do  so,  when  he 
called  them  "  lost  sheep." 

Now,  that  these  publicans  were  Jews,  what  follows  but 
that  for  this  they  were  a  great  deal  the  more  abominated 
by  their  brethren  ;  and  (as  I  have  also  hinted  before)  it  is 
no  marvel  that  they  were  ;  for  a  treacherous  brother  is 
worse  than  an  open  enemy,  Psalm  lv.  12,  13  ;  for,  if  to  be 
debauched  in  an  open  and  common  transgression  is  odious, 
how  odious  is  it  for  a  brother  to  be  so  ;  for  a  brother  in 
nature  and  religion  to  be  so.  I  say  again,  all  this  they 
did,  as  both  John  insinuates,  and  Zaccheus  confesses. 

The  Pharisee,  therefore,  was  not  so  good,  but  the  Publi- 
can was  as  bad.  Indeed  the  Publican  was  a  notorious 
wretch,  one  that  had  a  way  of  transgressing  by  himself ; 
one  that  could  not  be  sufficiently  condemned  by  the  Jews, 
nor  coupled  with  a  viler  than  himself.  It  is  true,  you  find 
him  here  in  the  temple  at  prayer  ;  not  because  he  retained, 
in  his  apostacy,  conscience  of  the  true  religion  ;  but  God 
had  awakened  him,  shewed  him  his  sin,  and  bestowed  upon 
him  the  grace  of  repentance,  by  which  he  was  not  only 
fetched  back  to  the  temple  and  prayer,  but  to  his  God,  and 
to  the  salvation  of  his  soul. 

The  Pharisee,  then,  was  a  man  of  another  complexion, 
and  good  as  to  his  own  thoughts  of  himself ;  yea,  and  in 
the  thoughts  of  others  also,  upon  the  highest  and  better 
ground  by  far.  The  Publican  was  a  notorious  sinner  :  the 
Pharisee  was  a  reputed  righteous  man.  The  Publican  was 
a  sinner  out  of  the  ordinary  way  of  sinning  ;  and  the  Pha- 
risee was  a  man  for  righteousness  in  a  singular  way  also. 
The  Publican  pursued  his  villanies,  and  the  Pharisee  pur- 
sued his  righteousness ;  and  yet  they  both  met  in  the 
temple  to  pray  :  yea,  the  Pharisee  stuck  to,  and  boasted  in, 
the  law  of  God:  but  the  Publican  did  forsake  it,  and  hard- 
ened his  heart  against  his  way. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  107 

Thus  diverse  were  they  in  their  appearances  :  the  Phari- 
see very  good,  the  Puhlican  very  had  :  but  as  to  the  law  of 
God,  which  looked  upon  them  with  reference  to  the  state 
of  their  spirits,  and  the  nature  of  their  actions,  by  that  they 
were  both  found  sinners ;  the  Publican  an  open,  outside 
one,  and  the  Pharisee  a  filthy,  inside  one.  This  is  evident, 
because  the  best  of  them  was  rejected,  and  the  worst  of 
them  was  received  to  mercy.  Mercy  standeth  not  at  the 
Publican's  badness,  nor  is  it  enamoured  with  the  Pharisee's 
goodness  :  it  suffereth  not  the  law  to  take  place  on  both, 
though  it  findeth  them  both  in  sin,  but  graciously  embraceth 
the  most  unworthy,  and  leaveth  the  best  to  shift  for  him- 
self. And  good  reason  that  both  should  be  dealt  with 
after  this  manner  ;  to  wit,  that  the  word  of  grace  should  be 
justified  upon  the  soul  of  the  penitent,  and  that  the  other 
should  stand  or  fall  to  that  which  he  had  chosen  to  be  his 
master. 

There  are  three  things  that  follow  upon  this  discourse. 

1.  That  the  righteousness  of  man  is  not  of  any  esteem 
with  God,  as  to  justification.  It  is  passed  by  as  a  thing  of 
naughtiness,  a  thing  not  worth  the  taking  notice  of.  There 
was  not  so  much  as  notice  taken  of  the  Pharisee's  person  or 
prayer,  because  he  came  into  the  temple  mantled  up  in  his 
own  good  things. 

2.  That  the  man  that  has  nothing  to  commend  him  to 
God,  but  his  own  good  doings,  shall  never  be  in  favour  with 
him.  This  also  is  evident  from  the  text :  the  Pharisee  had 
his  own  righteousness,  but  had  nothing  else  to  commend 
him  to  God  ;  and  therefore  could  not  by  that  obtain  favour 
with  God,  but  abode  still  a  rejected  one,  and  in  a  state  of 
condemnation. 

3.  Wherefore,  though  we  are  bound  by  the  law  of 
charity  to  judge  of  men  according  as  in  appearance  they 
present  themselves  unto  us ;  yet  withal,  to  wit,  though 
we  do  so  judge,  we  must  leave  room  for  the  judgment  of 
God.  Mercy  may  receive  him  that  we  have  doomed  to 
hell,  and  justice  may  take  hold  on  him,  whom  we  have 
judged  to  be  bound  up  in  the  bundle  of  life.     And  both 


108  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

these  things  are  apparent  by  the  persons  under  considera- 
tion. 

We,  like  Joseph,  are  for  setting  of  Manasseh  before 
Ephraim  ;  but  God,  like  Jacob,  puts  his  hands  across,  and 
lays  his  right  hand  upon  the  worst  man's  head,  and  his  left 
hand  upon  the  best  (Gen.  xlviii.),  to  the  amazement  and 
wonderment  even  of  the  best  of  men. 

"  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray  ;  the  one  a 
Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  Publican.  The  Pharisee  stood 
and  prayed  thus  with  himself ;  God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I 
am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers, 
or  even  as  this  Publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I  give 
tithes  of  all  that  I  possess." 

In  these  words  many  things  are  worth  the  noting.     As, 

First,  The  Pharisee's  definition  of  righteousness ;  the 
which  standeth  in  two  things  :  1.  In  negatives  ;  2.  In 
positives. 

1.  In  negatives  ;  to  wit,  what  a  man  that  is  righteous 
must  not  be  :  "I  am  no  extortioner,  no  unjust  man,  no 
adulterer,  nor  yet  as  this  Publican." 

2.  In  positives  ;  to  wit,  what  a  man  that  is  righteous 
must  be  :  "I  fast  twice  a-week,  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I 
possess,"  &c. 

That  righteousness  standeth  in  negative  and  positive 
holiness  is  true  ;  but  that  the  Pharisee's  definition  is,  not- 
withstanding, false,  will  be  manifest  by  and  by.  But  I 
will  first  treat  of  righteousness  in  the  general,  because  the 
text  leadeth  me  to  it. 

First,  then,  a  man  that  is  righteous,  must  have  negative 
holiness  ;  that  is,  he  must  not  live  in  actual  transgressions ; 
he  must  not  be  an  extortioner,  unjust,  an  adulterer,  or  as 
the  Publican  was.  And  this  the  apostle  intends,  when  he 
saith,  "  Flee  fornication,"  "  Flee  youthful  lusts,"  "  Flee 
from  idolatry  ;"  and,  "  Little  children  keep  yourselves  from 
idols  ;"  1  Cor.  vi.  18  ;  x.  14  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  22;  1  John  v.  21. 
For  it  is  a  vain  thing  to  talk  of  righteousness,  and  that 
ourselves  are  righteous,  when  every  observer  shall  find  us 
in  actual  transgression.     Yea,  though  a  man  shall  mix  his 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  109 

want  of  negative  holiness  with  some  good  actions,  that  will 
not  make  him  a  righteous  man.  As  suppose,  a  man  that 
is  a  swearer,  a  drunkard,  an  adulterer,  or  the  like,  should, 
notwithstanding  this,  be  open-handed  to  the  poor,  be  a 
great  executor  of  justice  in  his  place,  be  exact  in  his  buy- 
ing, selling,  keeping  his  promise  with  his  friend,  or  the 
like  ;  these  things,  yea,  many  more  such,  cannot  make  him 
a  righteous  man  ;  for  the  beginning  of  righteousness  is  yet 
wanting  in  him,  which  is  this  negative  holiness  :  for  ex- 
cept a  man  leave  off  to  do  evil,  he  cannot  be  a  righteous 
man.  Negative  holiness  is  therefore  of  absolute  necessity 
to  make  one  in  one's  self  a  righteous  man.  This  therefore 
condemns  them,  that  count  it  sufficient  if  a  man  have  some 
actions  that  in  themselves,  and  by  virtue  of  the  command, 
are  good,  to  make  him  a  righteous  man,  though  negative 
holiness  is  wanting.  This  is  as  saying  to  the  wicked,  Thou 
art  righteous,  and  a  perverting  of  the  right  way  of  the 
Lord  :  negative  holiness,  therefore,  must  be  in  a  man  before 
he  can  be  accounted  righteous. 

2.  As  negative  holiness  is  required  to  declare  one  a 
righteous  man  ;  so  also  positive  holiness  must  be  joined 
therewith,  or  the  man  is  unrighteous  still.  For  it  is  not 
what  a  man  is  not,  but  what  a  man  does,  that  declares 
him  a  righteous  man.  Suppose  a  man  be  no  thief,  no  liar, 
no  unjust  man ;  or,  as  the  Pharisee  saith,  no  extortioner, 
nor  adulterer,  &c,  this  will  not  make  a  righteous  man ;  but 
there  must  be  joined  to  these,  holy  and  good  actions,  before 
he  can  be  declared  a  righteous  man.  Wherefore,  as  the 
apostle,  when  he  pressed  the  Christians  to  righteousness, 
did  put  them  first  upon  negative  holiness,  so  he  joineth 
thereto  an  exhortation  to  positive  holiness  ;  knowing,  that 
where  positive  holiness  is  wanting,  all  the  negative  holiness 
in  the  whole  world  cannot  declare  a  man  a  righteous  man. 
When  therefore  he  had  said,  "  But  thou,  0  man  of  God, 
flee  these  things"  (sin  and  wickedness),  he  adds,  "  and  fol- 
low after  righteousness,  godliness,  faith,  love,  patience, 
meekness,"  &c.  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  11.  Here  Timothy  is  exhorted 
to  negative  holiness,  when  he  is  bid  to  flee  sin.     Here  also 


110  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

he  is  exhorted  to  positive  holiness,  when  he  is  bid  to  folio>» 
after  righteousness,  &c. ;  for  righteousness  can  neither 
stand  in  negative  nor  positive  holiness,  as  severed  one  from 
another.  That  man  then,  and  that  man  only,  is,  as  to  ac- 
tions, a  righteous  man,  that  hath  left  off  to  do  evil,  and  hath 
learned  to  do  well,  Isa.  i.  16,  17  ;  that  hath  cast  off  the 
works  of  darkness,  and  put  on  the  armour  of  light.  "  Flee 
youthful  lusts  (said  Paul),  but  follow  righteousness,  faith, 
charity,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on  the  Lord  out  of  a 
pure  heart ;"  2  Tim.  ii.  22. 

The  Pharisee,  therefore,  as  to  the  general  description  of 
righteousness,  made  his  definition  right ;  but  as  to  his 
person  and  personal  righteousness,  he  made  his  definition 
wrong.  I  do  not  mean  he  defined  his  own  righteousness 
wrong ;  but  I  mean  his  definition  of  true  righteousness, 
Arhich  standeth  in  negative  and  positive  holiness,  he  made 
to  stoop  to  justify  his  own  righteousness,  and  therein  he 
played  the  hypocrite  in  his  prayer  :  for  although  it  is  true 
righteousness  that  standeth  in  negative  and  positive  holi- 
ness ;  yet  that  this  is  not  true  righteousness  that  standeth, 
but  in  some  pieces  and  ragged  remnants  of  negative  and 
positive  righteousness.  If  then  the  Pharisee  would,  in  his 
definition  of  personal  righteousness,  have  proved  his  own 
righteousness  to  be  good,  he  must  have  proved,  that  both 
his  negative  and  positive  holiness  had  been  universal ;  to 
wit,  that  he  had  left  off  to  act  in  any  wickedness,  and  that 
he  had  given  up  himself  to  the  duty  enjoined  in  every 
commandment :  for  so  the  righteous  man  is  described  ; 
Job  i.  8  ;  ii.  3.  As  it  is  said  of  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth 
his  wife,  "  They  were  both  righteous  before  God,  walking 
in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blame- 
less ;"  Luke  i.  5,  6.  Here  the  perfection,  that  is,  the  uni- 
versality, of  their  negative  holiness  is  implied,  and  the 
universality  of  their  positive  holiness  is  expressed  ;  they 
walked  in  all  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  ;  but  that 
they  could  not  do,  if  they  had  lived  in  any  unrighteous 
thing  or  way.  They  walked  in  all  blamelessly,  that 
is,  sincerely,  with  upright  hearts.     The  Pharisee's  right- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  Ill 

eousness,  therefore,  even  by  his  own  implied  definition 
of  righteousness,  was  not  good,  as  is  manifest  these  two 
ways — 

1.  His  negative  holiness  was  not  universal. 

2.  His  positive  holiness  was  rather  ceremonial  than 
moral. 

1.  His  negative  holiness  was  not  universal.  He  saith 
indeed,  he  was  not  an  extortioner,  nor  unjust,  no  adulterer, 
nor  yet  as  this  Publican :  but  none  of  these  expressions 
apart,  nor  all,  if  put  together,  do  prove  him  to  be  perfect  as 
to  negative  holiness ;  that  is,  they  do  not  prove  him,  should 
it  be  granted,  that  he  was  as  holy  with  this  kind  of  holiness, 
as  himself  of  himself  had  testified.     For, 

(I.)  What  though  he  was  no  extortioner,  he  might  yet 
be  a  covetous  man  ;  Luke  xvi.  14. 

(2.)  What  though,  as  to  dealing,  he  was  not  unjust  to 
others,  yet  he  wanted  honesty  to  do  justice  to  his  own 
soul  ;  Luke  xvi.  15. 

(3.)  What  though  he  was  free  from  the  act  of  adultery, 
he  might  yet  be  made  guilty  by  an  adulterous  eye,  against 
which  the  Pharisee  did  not  watch  (Matt.  v.  28),  of  which 
the  Pharisee  did  not  take  cognizance. 

(4.)  What  though  he  was  not  like  the  Publican,  yet  he 
was  like,  yea  was,  a  downright  hypocrite  ;  he  wanted  in 
those  things  wherein  he  boasted  himself,  sincerity  ;  but 
without  sincerity  no  action  can  be  good,  or  accounted  of 
God  as  righteous.  The  Pharisee,  therefore,  notwithstand- 
ing his  boast,  was  deficient  in  his  righteousness,  though  he 
would  fain  have  shrouded  it  under  the  right  definition 
thereof. 

(5.)  Nor  doth  his  positive  holiness  help  him  at  all,  for- 
asmuch as  it  is  grounded  mostly,  if  not  altogether,  in  cere- 
monial holiness :  nay,  I  will  recollect  myself,  it  was 
grounded  partly  in  ceremonial  and  partly  in  superstitious 
holiness,  if  there  be  such  a  thing  as  superstitious  holiness 
in  the  world  ;  this  paying  of  tithes  was  ceremonial,  such  as 
came  in  and  went  out  with  the  typical  priesthood.  But 
what  is  that  to  positive  holiness,  when  it  was  but  a  small 


112  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

pittance  by  the  by.  ITad  the  Pharisee  argued  plainly  and 
honestly  ;  I  mean,  had  he  so  dealt  with  that  law,  by  which 
now  he  sought  to  be  justified,  he  should  have  brought  forth 
positive  righteousness  in  morals,  and  should  have  said  and 
proved  it  too,  that  as  he  was  no  wicked  man  with  reference 
to  the  act  of  wickedness,  he  was  indeed  a  righteous  man  in 
acts  of  moral  virtues.  He  should,  I  say,  have  proved  him- 
self a  true  lover  of  God,  no  superstitious  one,  but  a  sincere 
worshipper  of  him  ;  for  this  is  contained  in  the  first  table 
(Exod.  xx.),  and  is  so  in  sum  expounded  by  the  Lord 
Christ  himself  (Mark  xii.  30).  He  should  also,  in  the  next 
place,  have  proved  himself  truly  kind,  compassionate,  libe- 
ral, and  full  of  love  and  charity  to  his  neighbour  ;  for  that 
is  the  sum  of  the  second  table,  as  our  Lord  doth  expound  it, 
saying,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself;"  Mark 
xii.  31. 

True,  he  says,  he  did  them  no  hurt ;  but  did  he  do  them 
good  1  To  do  no  hurt,  is  one  thing ;  and  to  do  good,  is  an- 
other ;  and  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  do  neither  hurt  nor 
good  to  his  neighbour.  What  then,  is  he  a  righteous  man 
because  he  hath  done  him  no  hurt  ?  No,  verily ;  unless,  to 
his  power,  he  hath  also  done  him  good. 

It  is  therefore  a  very  fallacious  and  deceitful  arguing  of 
the  Pharisee,  thus  to  speak  before  God  in  his  prayers :  I  am 
righteous,  because  I  have  not  hurt  my  neighbour,  and  be- 
cause I  have  acted  in  ceremonial  duties.  Nor  will  that  helj 
him  at  all  to  say,  he  gave  tithes  of  all  that  he  possessed.  It 
had  been  more  modest  to  say,  that  he  had  paid  them  ;  foi 
they,  being  commanded,  were  a  due  debt  ;  nor  could  they 
go  before  God  for  a  free  gift,  because,  by  the  commandment, 
the}r  were  made  a  payment ;  but  proud  men  and  hypocrites 
love  so  to  word  it  both  with  God  and  man,  as  at  least  to 
imply,  that  they  are  more  forward  to  do,  than  God's  com- 
mand is  to  require  them  to  do. 

The  second  part  of  his  positive  holiness  was  supersti- 
tious ;  for  God  had  appointed  no  such  set  fasts,  neither 
more  nor  less  but  just  twice  a-week :  "  I  fast  twice  a-week." 
Ay,  but  who  did  command  thee  to  do  so,  other  than  by 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  113 

thy  being  put  upon  it  by  a  superstitious  and  erroneous 
conscience,  doth  not,  nor  canst  thou  make  to  appear.  This 
part,  therefore,  of  this  positive  righteousness,  was  positive 
superstition,  and  abuse  of  God's  law,  and  a  gratification  of 
thy  own  erroneous  conscience.  Hitherto,  therefore,  thou 
art  defective  in  thy  so  seemingly  brave  and  glorious  right- 
eousness. 

Yet  this  let  me  say,  in  commendation  of  the  Pharisee,  in 
my  conscience  he  was  better  than  many  of  our  English 
Christians;  for  many  of  them  are  so  far  off  from  being  at 
all  partakers  of  positive  righteousness,  that  neither  all  their 
ministers,  Bibles,  and  good  books,  good  sermons,  nor  yet 
God's  judgments,  can  persuade  them  to  become  so  much  as 
negatively  holy,  that  is,  to  leave  off  evil. 

The  second  thing  that  I  take  notice  of  in  this  prayer  of 
the  Pharisee,  is  his  manner  of  delivery,  as  he  stood  praying 
in  the  temple :  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am 
not  as  other  men  are."  He  seemed  to  be  at  this  time  in 
more  than  an  ordinary  frame,  while  now  he  stood  in  the 
presence  of  the  divine  Majesty :  for  a  prayer  made  up  of 
praise,  is  a  prayer  made  up  of  the  highest  order,  and  is  most 
like  the  way  of  them  that  are  now  in  a  state  beyond  prayer. 
Praise  is  the  work  of  heaven ;  but  we  see  here,  that  an  hy- 
pocrite may  get  into  that  vein,  even  while  an  hypocrite, 
and  while  on  earth  below.  Nor  do  I  think  that  this  prayer 
of  his  was  a  premeditated  stinted  form,  but  a  prayer  extem- 
pore, made  on  a  sudden  according  to  what  he  felt,  thought, 
or  understood  of  himself. 

Here  therefore  we  may  see,  that  even  prayer,  as  well  as 
other  acts  of  religious  worship,  may  be  performed  in  great 
hypocrisy;  although  I  think,  that  to  perform  prayer  in 
hypocrisy,  is  one  of  the  most  daring  sins  that  are  commit- 
ted by  the  sons  of  men.  For  by  prayer,  above  all  duties,  is 
our  most  direct  and  immediate  personal  approach  into  the 
presence  of  God ;  as  there  is  an  uttering  of  things  before 
him,  especially  a  giving  to  him  of  thanks  for  things  received, 
or  a  begging  that  such  and  such  things  might  be  bestowed 
upon  me.  But  now,  to  do  these  things  in  hypocrisy  (and  it 


114  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

is  easy  to  do  them  so,  when  we  go  up  into  the  temple  to 
pray),  must  needs  be  intolerable  wickedness,  and  it  argueth 
infinite  patience  in  God,  that  he  should  let  such  as  do  so 
arise  alive  from  their  knees,  or  that  he  should  suffer  them  to 
go  away  from  the  place  where  they  stand,  without  some 
token  or  mark  of  his  wrath  upon  them. 

I  also  observe,  that  this  extempore  prayer  of  the  Pharisee 
was  performed  by  himself,  or  in  the  strength  of  his  own 
natural  parts  ;  for  so  the  text  implieth.  "  The  Pharisee," 
saith  the  text,  "  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,"  or 
"  by  himself,"  and  may  signify,  either  that  he  spoke  softly, 
or  that  he  made  this  prayer  by  reason  of  his  natural  parts. 
"  I  will  pray  with  the  Spirit,"  said  Paul  ;  1  Cor.  adv.  15. 
"  The  Pharisee  prayed  with  himself,"  said  Christ.  It  is  at 
this  day  wonderfully  common  for  men  to  pray  extempore 
also  ;  to  pray  by  a  book,  by  a  premeditated  set  form,  is 
now  out  of  fashion.  He  is  counted  nobody  now,  that  can- 
not at  any  time,  at  a  minute's  warning,  make  a  prayer  of 
half  an  hour  long.  I  am  not  against  extempore  prayer,  for 
I  believe  it  to  be  the  best  kind  of  praying  ;  but  yet  I  am 
jealous,  that  there  are  a  great  many  such  prayers  made, 
especially  in  pulpits  and  public  meetings,  without  the 
breathing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  them  ;  for  if  a  Pharisee  of 
old  could  do  so,  why  not  a  Pharisee  do  the  same  now  1  Wit 
and  reason,  and  notion,  are  not  screwed  up  to  a  very  great 
height ;  nor  do  men  want  words,  or  fancies,  or  pride,  to 
make  them  do  this  thing.  Great  is  the  formality  of  religion 
this  day,  and  little  the  power  thereof.  Now,  where  there 
is  a  great  form,  and  little  power  (and  such  there  was  among 
the  Jews,  in  the  time  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ), 
there  men  are  most  strangely  under  the  temptation  to  be 
hypocrites  ;  for  nothing  doth  so  properly  and  direetty  op- 
pose hypocrisy,  as  the  power  and  glory  of  the  things  we 
profess.  And  so,  on  the  contrary,  nothing  is  a  greater 
temptation  to  hypocrisy,  than  a  form  of  knowledge  of 
things  without  the  savour  thereof.  Nor  can  much  of  the 
power  and  savour  of  the  things  of  the  gospel  be  seen  at  this 
day  upon  professors  (I  speak  not  now  of  all),  if  their  no- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  115 

tions  and  conversations  be  compared  together.  How  proud, 
how  covetous,  how  like  the  world  in  garb  and  guise,  in 
words  and  actions,  are  most  of  the  great  professors  of  this 
our  day  !  But  when  they  come  to  divine  worship,  espe- 
cially to  pray,  by  their  words  and  carriage  there,  one  would 
almost  judge  them  to  be  angels  in  heaven.  But  such  things 
must  be  done  in  hypocrisy,  as  also  the  Pharisee's  was. 
"  The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself." 
And  in  that  it  is  said  he  prayed  with  himself,  it  may 
signify,  that  he  went  in  his  prayer  no  further  than  his 
sense  and  reason,  feeling  and  carnal  apprehensions  went. 
True  Christian  prayer  ofttimes  leaves  sense  and  reason, 
feeling  and  carnal  apprehensions,  behind  it ;  and  it  goeth 
forth  with  faith,  hope,  and  desires  to  know  what  at  present 
we  are  ignorant  of,  and  that  unto  which  our  sense,  feeling, 
reason,  &c,  are  strangers.  The  apostle  indeed  doth  say, 
"  I  will  pray  with  the  understanding ;"  1  Cor.  xiv.  15  ; 
but  then  it  must  be  taken  for  an  understanding  spiritually 
enlightened.  I  say,  it  must  be  so  understood,  because  the 
natural  understanding,  as  such,  receiveth  not  the  things  of 
God,  therefore  cannot  pray  for  them  ;  for  they  to  such  are 
foolish  things  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  14. 

Now,  a  spiritually  enlightened  understanding  may  be 
officious  in  prayer  these  ways — 

1.  As  it  has  received  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  being 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  for  to  receive  conviction  of  the  truth 
and  being  of  such  things,  comes  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  not 
from  the  law,  sense,  or  reason  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  10-12.  Now  the 
understanding  having,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  received  convic- 
tion of  the  truth  of  things,  draweth  out  the  heart  to  cry  in 
prayer  to  God  for  them.  Therefore  he  saith,  he  would  pray 
with  the  understanding. 

2.  The  spiritually  enlightened  understanding  hath  also 
received,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  conviction  of  the  excellency 
and  glory  of  the  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  so 
inflameth  the  heart  with  more  fervent  desires  in  this  duty 
of  prayer  ;  for  there  is  a  supernatural  excellency  in  the 
things  that  are  of  the  Spirit :  "  For  if  the  ministration  of 


116  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

death  (to  which  the  Pharisee  adhered),  written  and  en- 
graven in  stones,  was  glorious,  so  that  the  children  of  Israel 
could  not  steadfastly  behold  the  face  of  Moses,  for  the  glory 
of  his  countenance,  which  glory  was  to  be  done  away  ;  how 
shall  not  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ? 
For  if  the  ministration  of  condemnation  be  glory,  much 
more  doth  the  ministration  of  righteousness  exceed  in  glory  : 
for  even  that  which  was  made  glorious  hath  no  glory  in 
this  respect,  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth  ;"  2  Cor. 
iii.  7-10.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  sheweth,  at  least,  some 
things  of  that  excellent  glory  of  them  to  the  understanding 
that  it  enlighteneth  ;  Eph.  i.  17-19. 

3.  The  spiritually  enlightened  understanding  hath  also 
thereby  received  knowledge,  that  these  excellent  superna- 
tural things  of  the  Spirit  are  given  by  covenant  in  Christ 
to  those  that  love  God,  and  are  beloved  of  him.  "  Now  we 
have  received,"  says  Paul,  "not  the  spirit  of  the  world 
(that  the  Pharisee  had),  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God, 
that  we  may  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of 
God  ;"  1  Cor.  ii.  12.  And  this  knowledge,  that  the  things 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God,  puts  yet 
a  greater  edge,  more  vigour,  and  yet  further  confidence,  into 
the  heart  to  ask  for  what  is  mine  by  gift,  by  a  free  gift  of 
God  in  his  Son.  But  all  these  things  the  poor  Pharisee 
was  an  utter  stranger  to  ;  he  knew  not  the  Spirit,  nor  the 
things  of  the  Spirit,  and  therefore  must  neglect  faith,  judg- 
ment, and  the  love  of  God,  Matt,  xxiii.  23  ;  Luke  xi.  42, 
and  follow  himself  only,  as  to  his  sense,  feeling,  reason,  and 
carnal  imagination  in  prayer. 

He  stood  and  prayed  thus  "  with  himself."  He  prayed 
thus,  talking  to  himself ;  for  so  also  it  may  (I  think)  be 
understood.  It  is  said  of  the  unjust  judge,  "  He  said  within 
himself,  Though  I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man,"  &c, 
Luke  xviii.  4  ;  that  is,  he  said  it  to  himself.  So  the 
Pharisee  is  said  to  pray  with  himself  :  God  and  the 
Pharisee  were  not  together,  there  was  only  the  Pharisee 
and  himself.  Paul  knew  not  what  to  pray  for  without 
the  Holy  Ghost  joined  himself  with  him,  and  helping  him 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  117 

with  groans  unutterable  ;  but  the  Pharisee  had  no  need 
of  that  ;  it  was  enough  that  lie  and  himself  were  together 
at  this  work  ;  for  he  thought  without  doubting  that  he  and 
himself  together  could  do.  How  many  times  have  I  heard 
ancient  men,  and  ancient  women  at  it  with  themselves, 
when  all  alone  in  some  private  room,  or  in  some  solitary 
path  ;  and  in  their  chat  they  have  been  sometimes  reason- 
ing, sometimes  chiding,  sometimes  pleading,  sometimes 
praying,  and  sometimes  singing  ;  but  yet  all  has  been 
done  by  themselves  when  all  alone  ;  but  yet  so  done,  as 
one  that  has  not  seen  them  must  needs  have  concluded 
that  they  were  talking,  singing,  and  praying  with  com- 
pany, when  all  that  they  had  said,  they  did  it  with  them- 
selves, and  had  neither  auditor  nor  regarder. 

So  the  Pharisee  was  at  it  with  himself ;  he  and  himself 
performed,  at  this  time,  the  duty  of  prayer.  Now  I  ob- 
serve, that  usually  when  men  do  speak  to  or  with  them- 
selves, they  greatly  strive  to  please  themselves  :  therefore 
it  is  said,  there  is  a  man  "that  flattereth  himself  in  his 
own  eyes,  until  his  iniquity  be  found  to  be  hateful  ;"  Psalm 
xxxvi.  2.  He  flattereth  himself  in  his  own  way,  according 
as  his  sense  and  carnal  reason  dictate  to  him  ;  and  he  might 
do  it  as  well  in  prayer  as  in  any  other  way.  Some  men 
will  so  hear  sermons  and  apply  them  that  they  may  please 
themselves  ;  and  some  men  will  pray,  but  will  refuse  such 
words  and  thoughts  in  prayer  as  will  not  please  them- 
selves. 

0  how  many  men  speak  all  that  they  speak  in  prayer, 
rather  to  themselves,  or  to  their  auditory,  than  to  God  that 
dwelleth  in  heaven.  And  this  I  take  to  be  the  manner,  I 
mean  something  of  the  manner,  of  the  Pharisee's  praying. 
Indeed,  he  made  mention  of  God,  as  also  others  do  ;  but  he 
prayed  with  himself  to  himself,  in  his  own  spirit,  and  to 
his  own  pleasing,  as  the  matter  of  his  prayer  doth  mani- 
fest. For  was  it  not  pleasant  to  this  hypocrite,  think  you, 
to  speak  thus  well  of  himself  at  this  time  1  Doubtless  it 
was.  Also  children  and  fools  are  of  the  same  temper  with 
hypocrites,  as  to  this :  they  also  love,  without  ground,  as 


118  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

the  Pharisee,  to  flatter  themselves  in  their  own  eyes ;  "  Btrt 
not  he  that  commendeth  himself  is  approved." 

"  God,  I  thank  thee,  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extor- 
tioners, unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  Publican,"  &c. 

Thus  he  begins  his  prayer ;  and  it  is,  as  was  hinted  be- 
fore, a  prayer  of  the  highest  strain.  For  to  make  a  prayer 
all  of  thanksgiving,  and  to  urge  in  that  prayer  the  cause 
of  that  thanksgiving,  is  the  highest  manner  of  praying, 
and  seems  to  be  done  in  the  strongest  faith,  &c,  in  the 
greatest  sense  of  things.  And  such  was  the  Pharisee's 
prayer,  only  he  wanted  substantial  ground  for  his  thanks- 
giving ;  to  wit,  he  wanted  proof  of  that  he  said,  He  was 
not  as  other  men  were,  except  he  had  meant,  as  he  did 
not,  that  he  was  even  of  the  worst  sort  of  men  :  For  even 
the  best  of  men  by  nature,  and  the  worst,  are  all  alike. 
"  What,  then,  are  we  better  than  they  ?  (saith  Paul),  No, 
in  nowise ;"  Rom.  iii.  9.  So  then  he  failed  in  the  ground 
of  his  thankfulness,  and  therefore  his  thankfulness  was 
grounded  on  untruth,  and  so  became  feigned  and  self- 
flattering,  and  could  not  be  acceptable  with  the  God  of 
heaven. 

Besides,  in  this  high  prayer  of  the  Pharisee,  he  fathered 
that  upon  God  which  he  could  by  no  means  own  ;  to  wit, 
that  he  being  so  good  as  he  thought  himself  to  be,  was 
through  distinguishing  love  and  favour  of  God — "  God,  I 
thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are."  I  thank 
thee,  that  thou  hast  made  me  better  than  others ;  I  thank 
thee  that  my  condition  is  so  good,  and  that  I  am  so  far  ad- 
vanced above  my  neighbour. 

There  are  several  things  flow  from  this  prayer  of  the 
Pharisee  that  are  worth  our  observation  :  as — 

1.  That  the  Pharisees  and  hypocrites  do  not  love  to 
count  themselves  sinners,  when  they  stand  before  God. 
They  choose  rather  to  commend  themselves  before  him  for 
virtuous  and  holy  persons,  sometimes  saying,  and  oftener 
thinking,  that  they  are  more  righteous  than  others.  Yea, 
it  seems  by  the  word  to  be  natural,  hereditary,  and  so  com- 
mon for  hypocrites  to  trust  to  themselves  that  they  are 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  119 

righteous,  and  then  to  condemn  others  :  this  is  the  founda- 
tion upon  which  this  very  parable  is  built :  "  He  spake 
this  parable  (saith  Luke)  unto  certain  which  trusted  in 
themselves  as  being  righteous,"  or  "  that  they  were  "  so, 
"  and  despised  others,"  ver.  9. 

I  say,  hypocrites  love  not  to  think  of  their  sins,  when 
they  stand  in  the  presence  of  God  j  but  rather  to  muster 
up,  and  to  present  him  with  their  several  good  deeds,  and 
to  venture  a  standing  or  falling  by  them. 

2.  This  carriage  of  the  Pharisee  before  God  informs  us, 
that  moral  virtues,  and  the  ground  of  them,  which  is  the 
law,  if  trusted  to,  blinds  the  mind  of  man  that  he  cannot 
for  them  perceive  the  way  to  happiness.  While  Moses  is 
read  (and  his  law  and  the  righteousness  thereof  trusted  to), 
the  vail  is  upon  their  heart ;  and  even  unto  this  day  (said 
Paul)  the  vail .  remaineth  "  untaken  away  in  the  reading 
of  the  Old  Testament,  which  vail  is  done  away  in  Christ. 
But  even  unto  this  day,  when  Moses  is  read,  the  vail  is  up- 
on their  heart ;"  2  Cor.  iii.  14,  15.  And  this  is  the  reason 
so  many  moral  men,  that  are  adorned  with  civil  and  moral 
righteousness,  are  yet  so  ignorant  of  themselves,  and  the 
way  of  life  by  Christ. 

The  law  of  works,  and  the  righteousness  of  the  flesh, 
which  is  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  blinds  their  minds, 
shuts  up  their  eyes,  and  causeth  them  to  miss  of  the  righteous- 
ness that  they  are  so  hotly  in  the  pursuit  of.  Their  minds 
were  blinded,  saith  the  text.  Whose  minds  ?  Why  those 
that  adhered  to,  that  stood  by,  and  that  sought  righteous- 
ness of  the  law.     Now, 

The  Pharisee  was  such  an  one  ;  he  rested  in  the  law,  he 
made  his  boast  of  God,  and  trusted  to  himself  that  he  was 
righteous;  aU  this  proceeded  of  that  blindness  and  ignor- 
ance that  the  law  had  possessed  his  mind  withal ;  for  it  is 
not  granted  to  the  law  to  be  the  ministration  of  life  and 
light,  but  to  be  the  ministration  of  death,  when  it  speaks  ; 
and  of  darkness,  when  trusted  unto,  that  the  Son  of  God 
might  have  the  pre-eminence  in  all  things  :  therefore  it  is 

L 


120  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

said  when  the  heart  "  shall  turn  to  him,  the  vail  shall  be 
taken  away  ;"  2  Cor.  iii.  16. 

3.  We  may  see  by  this  prayer,  the  strength  of  vain  con- 
fidence ;  it  will  embolden  a  man  to  stand  in  a  lie  before 
God  ;  it  will  embolden  a  man  to  trust  to  himself,  and  to 
what  he  hath  done ;  yea,  to  plead  his  own  goodness,  instead 
of  God's  mercy,  before  him.  For  the  Pharisee  was  not 
only  a  man  that  justified  himself  before  men,  but  that  jus- 
tified himself  before  God ;  and  what  was  the  cause  of  his  so 
justifying  himself  before  God,  but  that  vain  confidence  that 
lie  had  in  himself  and  his  works,  which  were  both  a  cheat 
and  a  lie  to  himself  ?  But  I  say,  the  boldness  of  the  man 
was  wonderful,  for  he  stood  to  the  lie  that  was  in  his  right 
hand,  and  pleaded  the  goodness  of  it  before  him. 

But  besides  these  things,  there  are  four  things  more  that 
are  couched  in  this  prayer  of  the  Pharisee. 

1.  By  this  prayer  the  Pharisee  doth  appropriate  to  him- 
self conversion  ;  he  challengeth  it  to  himself  and  to  his  fel- 
lows. "  I  am  not,"  saith  he,  "  as  other  men  ;"  that  is,  in 
uncon version,  in  a  state  of  sin,  wrath,  and  death  :  and  this 
must  be  his  meaning,  for  the  religion  of  the  Pharisee  was 
not  grounded  upon  any  particular  natural  privilege  :  I  mean 
not  singly,  not  only  upon  that,  but  upon  a  falling  in  with 
those  principles,  notions,  opinions,  decrees,  traditions,  and 
doctrines  that  they  taught  distinct  from  the  time  and  holy 
doctrines  of  the  prophets.  And  they  made  to  themselves 
disciples  by  such  doctrine,  men  that  they  could  captivate 
by  those  principles,  laws,  doctrines,  and  traditions  :  and 
therefore  such  are  said  to  be  of  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees  : 
that  is,  the  scholars  and  disciples  of  them,  converted  to  them 
and  to  their  doctrine.  0  !  it  is  easy  for  souls  to  appro- 
priate conversion  to  themselves,  that  know  not  what  con- 
version is.  It  is  easy,  I  say,  for  men  to  lay  conversion  to 
God,  on  a  legal,  or  ceremonial,  or  delusive  bottom,  on  such 
a  bottom  that  will  sink  under  the  burden  that  is  laid  upon 
it ;  on  such  a  bottom  that  will  not  stand  when  it  is  brought 
under  the  touchstone  of  God,  nor  against  the  rain,  wind, 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  121 

and  floods  that  are  ordained  to  put  it  to  the  trial,  whether 
it  is  true  or  false.  The  Pharisee  here  stands  upon  a  sup- 
posed conversion  to  God  ;  "  I  am  not  as  other  men  ;"  but 
both  he  and  his  conversion  are  rejected  by  the  sequel  of  the 
parable  :  "  That  which  is  highly  esteemed  among  men" 
(Luke  xvi.  15)  "  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God."  That 
is,  that  conversion,  that  men,  as  men,  flatter  themselves 
that  they  have,  is  such.  But  the  Pharisee  will  be  a  con- 
verted man,  he  will  have  more  to  shew  for  heaven  than  his 
neighbour — "  I  am  not  as  other  men  are  ;"  to  wit,  in  a 
state  of  sin  and  condemnation,  but  in  a  state  of  conversion 
and  salvation.  But  see  how  grievously  this  sect,  this  reli- 
gion, beguiled  men.  It  made  them  twofold  worse  the  chil- 
dren of  hell  than  they  were  before,  and  than  their  teachers 
were,  Matth.  xxiii.  15  ;  that  is,  their  doctrine  begat  such 
blindness,  such  vain  confidence,  and  groundless  boldness  in 
their  disciples,  as  to  involve  them  in  that  conceit  of  conver- 
sion that  was  false,  and  so  if  trusted  to,  damnable. 

2.  By  these  words,  we  find  the  Pharisee,  not  only  ap- 
propriating conversion  to  himself,  but  rejoicing  in  that  con- 
version :  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  saith  he,  "  that  I  am  not 
as  other  men  ;"  which  saying  of  his  gives  us  to  see  that  he 
gloried  in  his  conversion  ;  he  made  no  doubt  at  all  of  his 
state,  but  lived  in  the  joy  of  the  safety  that  he  supposed  his 
soul,  by  his  conversion,  to  be  in.  Oh  !  thanks  to  God,  says 
he,  I  am  not  in  the  state  of  sin,  death,  and  damnation,  as 
the  unjust,  and  this  Publican  is.  What  a  strange  delusion, 
to  trust  to  the  spider's  web,  and  to  think  that  a  few,  or  the 
most  fine  of  the  works  of  the  flesh,  would  be  sufficient  to 
bear  up  the  soul  in,  at,  and  under  the  judgment  of  God  .' 
"  There  is  a  generation  that  are  pure  in  their  own  eyes,  and 
yet  are  not  washed  from  their  filthiness."  This  text  can  be 
so  fitly  applied  to  none  as  the  Pharisee,  and  to  those  that 
tread  in  the  Pharisee's  steps,  and  that  are  swallowed  up 
with  his  conceits,  and  with  the  glory  of  their  own  right- 
eousness. 

So  again,  "  There  is  a  way"  (a  way  to  heaven)  "  which 
seemeth  right  to  a  man,  but  the  end  thereof  are  the  ways 


122  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

of  death  ;"  Prov.  xxx.  12  ;  xiv.  12.  This  also  is  fulfilled 
in  these  kind  of  men  ;  at  the  end  of  their  way  is  death  and 
hell,  notwithstanding  their  confidence  in  the  goodness  of 
their  state. 

Again,  "  There  is  that  maketh  himself  rich,  yet  hath 
nothing  ;"  Prov.  xiii.  7.  What  can  be  more  plain  from  all 
these  texts,  than  that  some  men  that  are  out  of  the  way 
think  themselves  in  it  ;  and  that  some  men  think  them- 
selves clean,  that  are  yet  in  their  filthiness,  and  that  think 
themselves  rich  for  the  next  world,  and  yet  are  poor,  and 
miserable,  and  wretched,  and  blind,  and  naked.  Thus  the 
poor,  blind,  naked,  hypocritical  Pharisee  thought  of  him- 
self, when  God  threatened  to  abase  him  :  yea,  he  thought 
himself  thus,  and  joyed  therein,  when  indeed  he  was  going 
down  to  the  chambers  of  death. 

3.  By  these  words,  the  Pharisee  seems  to  put  the  good- 
ness of  his  condition  upon  the  goodness  of  God.  I  am  not 
as  other  men  are,  and  I  thank  God  for  it.  "  God  (saith 
he),  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are."  He 
thanked  God,  when  God  had  done  nothing  for  him.  He 
thanked  God,  when  the  way  that  he  was  in  was  not  of  God's 
prescribing,  but  of  his  own  inventing.  So  the  persecutor 
thanks  God  that  he  was  put  into  that  way  of  roguery  that 
the  devil  had  put  him  into,  when  he  fell  to  rending  and 
tearing  of  the  church  of  God  ;  "  Their  possessors  slay  them 
(saith  the  prophet),  and  hold  themselves  not  guilty  :  and 
they  that  sell  them  say,  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  for  I  am  rich ;" 
Zech.  xi.  5.  I  remember  that  Luther  used  to  say,  "  In  the 
name  of  God  begins  all  mischief."  All  must  be  fathered 
upon  God  :  the  Pharisee's  conversion  must  be  fathered  upon 
God  ;  the  right,  or  rather  the  villany  of  the  outrageous  per- 
secution against  God's  people,  must  be  fathered  upon  God. 
"  God,  I  thank  thee,"  and,  "  Blessed  be  God,"  must  be  the 
burden  of  the  heretic's  song.  So  again,  the  free-wilier,  he 
will  ascribe  all  to  God  ;  the  Quaker,  the  Ranter,  the  Soci- 
nian,  &c,  will  ascribe  all  to  God.  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  is 
in  every  man's  mouth,  and  must  be  entailed  to  every  error, 
delusion,  and  damnable  doctrine  that  is  in  the  world  :  but 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  123 

*he  name  of  God,  and  their  doctrine,  worship,  and  way, 
Jiangeth  together,  as  the  Pharisee's  doctrine  ;  that  is  to  say, 
by  nothing  at  all  :  for  God  hath  not  proposed  their  prin- 
ciples, nor  doth  he  own  them,  nor  hath  he  commanded  them, 
nor  doth  he  convey  by  them  the  least  grace  or  mercy  to 
them  ;  but  rather  rejecteth  them,  and  holdeth  them  for  his 
■enemies,  and  for  the  destroyers  of  the  world. 

4.  We  come,  in  the  next  place,  to  the  ground  of  all  this, 
und  that  is,  to  what  the  Pharisee  had  attained  ;  to  wit,  that 
he  was  no  extortioner,  no  unjust  man,  no  adulterer,  nor 
even  as  this  Publican,  and  for  that  he  fasted  twice  a-week, 
and  paid  tithes  of  all  that  he  possessed.  So  that  you  see  he 
pretended  to  a  double  foundation  for  his  salvation,  a  moral 
«,nd  a  ceremonial  one  ;  but  both  very  lean,  weak,  and  feeble : 
for  the  first  of  his  foundation,  what  is  it  more,  if  all  be  true 
that  he  saith,  but  a  being  removed  a  few  inches  from 
the  vilest  men  in  their  vilest  actions  ?  a  very  slender  matter 
to  build  my  confidence  for  heaven  upon. 

And  for  the  second  part  of  his  ground  for  life,  what  is  it 
but  a  couple  of  ceremonies,  if  so  good  ?  the  first  is  ques- 
tioned as  a  thing  not  founded  in  God's  law  ;  and  the  se- 
cond is  such,  as  is  of  the  remotest  sort  of  ceremonies,  that 
teach  and  preach  the  Lord  Jesus.  But  suppose  them  to  be 
the  best,  and  his  conformity  to  them  the  thoroughest,  they 
never  were  ordained  to  get  to  heaven  by,  and  so  are  become 
but  a  sandy  foundation.  But  any  thing  will  serve  some 
men  for  a  foundation  and  support  for  their  souls,  and  to 
build  their  hopes  of  heaven  upon.  I  am  not  a  drunkard, 
says  one,  nor  a  liar,  nor  a  swearer,  nor  a  thief,  and  there- 
fore I  thank  God,  I  have  hopes  of  heaven  and  glory.  I  am 
not  an  extortioner,  nor  an  adulterer  ;  not  unjust,  nor  yet 
as  this  Publican  ;  and  therefore  do  hope  I  shall  go  to  hea- 
ven. Alas,  poor  men  !  will  your  being  furnished  with 
these  things  save  you  from  the  thundering  claps  and  vehe- 
ment batteries  that  the  wrath  of  God  will  make  upon  sin 
and  sinners  in  the  day  that  shall  burn  like  an  oven  ?  No, 
no ;  nothing  at  that  day  can  shroud  a  man  from  the  hot 
rebukes  of  that  vengeance,  but  the  very  righteousness  of 


124  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

God,  which  is  not  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  however 
christened,  named,  or  garnished  with  all  the  righteousness 
of  man. 

But,  0  thou  blind  Pharisee  !  since  thou  art  so  confident 
that  thy  state  is  good,  and  thy  righteousness  is  that  that 
will  stand  when  it  shall  be  tried  with  fire  (1  Cor.  iii.  13), 
let  me  now  reason  with  thee  of  righteousness.  My  terror 
shall  not  make  thee  afraid ;  I  am  not  God,  but  a  man  as 
thou  art ;  we  both  are  formed  out  of  the  clay. 

First,  Prithee,  when  didst  thou  begin  to  be  righteous  ? 
Was  it  before  or  after  thou  hadst  been  a  sinner  ?  Not  be- 
fore, I  dare  say  ;  but  if  after,  then  the  sins  that  thou  pol- 
lutedst  thyself  withal  before,  have  made  thee  incapable  of 
acting  legal  righteousness  :  for  sin,  where  it  is,  pollutes, 
defiles,  and  makes  vile  the  whole  man ;  therefore  thou  canst 
not  by  after  acts  of  obedience  make  thyself  just  in  the  sight 
of  that  God  thou  pretendest  now  to  stand  praying  unto. 
Indeed  thou  mayst  cover  thy  dirt,  and  paint  thy  sepulchre ; 
for  that  acts  of  after  obedience  will  do,  though  sin  has  gone 
before.  But,  Pharisee,  God  can  see  through  the  white  of 
this  wall,  even  to  the  dirt  that  is  within  :  God  can  also  see 
through  the  paint  and  garnish  of  thy  beauteous  sepulchre, 
to  the  dead  men's  bones  that  are  within  ;  nor  can  any  of 
thy  most  holy  duties,  nor  all  when  put  together,  blind  the 
eye  of  the  all-seeing  Majesty  from  beholding  ail  the  un- 
cleanness  of  thy  soul  (Matt,  xxiii.  27.)  Stand  not  there- 
fore so  stoutly  to  it,  now  thou  art  before  God  ;  sin  is  with 
thee,  and  judgment  and  justice  is  before  him.  It  becomes 
thee,  therefore,  rather  to  despise  and  abhor  this  life,  and  to 
count  all  thy  doings  but  dross  and  dung,  and  to  be  content 
to  be  justified  with  another's  righteousness  instead  of  thy 
own.  This  is  the  way  to  be  secured.  I  say,  blind  Phari- 
see, this  is  the  way  to  be  secured  from  the  wrath  which  is 
to  come. 

There  is  nothing  more  certain  than  this,  that  as  to  justi- 
fication from  the  curse  of  the  law,  God  has  rejected  man's 
righteousness,  for  the  weakness  and  unprofitableness  there- 
of, and  hath  accepted  in  the  room  of  that  the  glorious  Tight- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  125 

eousness  of  his  Son  ;  because  indeed  that,  and  that  only,  is 
universal,  perfect,  and  equal  with  his  justice  and  holiness. 
This  is  in  a  manner  the  contents  of  the  whole  Bible,  and 
therefore  must  needs  be  more  certainly  true.  Now  then, 
Mr  Pharisee,  methinks,  what  if  thou  didst  this,  and  that 
while  thou  art  at  thy  pikers,  to  wit,  cast  in  thy  mind 
what  doth  God  love  most  1  and  the  resolve  will  be  at  hand. 
The  best  righteousness,  surely  the  best  righteousness  ;  for 
that  thy  reason  will  tell  thee  :  This  done,  even  while  thou 
art  at  thy  devotion,  ask  thyself  again,  But  who  has  the  best 
righteousness  1  and  that  resolve  will  be  at  hand  also  ;  to 
wit,  he  that  in  person  is  equal  with  God,  and  that  is  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ ;  he  that  is  separate  from  sinners,  and 
made  higher  than  the  heavens,  and  that  is  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ ;  he  that  did  no  sin,  nor  had  any  guile  found  in  his 
mouth  ;  and  there  never  was  any  such  he  in  all  the  world 
but  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ. 

Now,  Pharisee,  when  thou  hast  done  this,  then,  as  thou 
art  at  thy  devotion,  ask  again,  But  what  is  this  best  right- 
eousness, the  righteousness  of  Christ,  to  do  ?  and  the  answer 
will  be  ready.  It  is  to  be  made  by  an  act  of  the  sovereign 
grace  of  God  over  to  the  sinner  that  shall  dare  to  trust 
thereto  for  justification  from  the  curse  of  the  law.  "  He  is 
made  unto  us  of  God,  righteousness."  "  He  hath  made  him 
to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin  ,  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  "  For  Christ  is  the  end 
of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth  ;" 
1  Cor.  i.  30  ;  2  Cor.  v.  2]  ;  Rom.  x.  4. 

This  done,  and  concluded  on,  then  turn  again,  Pharisee, 
and  say  thus  with  thyself — Is  it  most  safe  for  me  to  trust 
in  this  righteousness  of  God,  this  righteousness  of  God-man, 
this  righteousness  of  Christ  ?  Certainly  it  is  ;  since,  by  the 
text,  it  is  counted  the  best,  and  that  which  is  best  pleaseth 
God  ;  since  it  is  that  which  God  hath  appointed,  that  sin- 
ners shall  be  justified  withal.  For  "  in  the  Lord  have  we 
righteousness"  if  we  believe:  and,  "in  the  Lord  we  are 
justified,  and  do  glory  ;"  Isa.  xlv.  24,  25. 

Nay,  Pharisee,  suppose  thine  own  righteousness  should 


126  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

be  as  long,  as  broad,  as  high,  as  deep,  as  perfect,  as  good, 
even  every  way  as  good,  as  the  righteousness  of  Christ ; 
yet  since  God  has  chosen,  by  Christ,  to  reconcile  us  to  him- 
self, canst  thou  attempt  to  seek  by  thy  own  righteousness 
to  reconcile  thyself  to  God,  and  not  attempt  (at  least)  to 
confront  this  righteousness  of  Christ  before  God  ;  yea,  to 
challenge  it  by  acceptance  of  thy  person  contrary  to  God's 
design  % 

Suppose,  that  when  the  king  has  chosen  one  to  be  judge 
in  the  land,  and  has  determined  that  he  shall  be  judge  in 
all  cases,  and  that  by  his  verdict  every  man's  judgment 
shall  stand  ;  I  say,  suppose,  after  this,  another  should  arise, 
and  of  his  own  head  resolve  to  do  his  own  business  himself. 
Now,  though  he  should  be  every  whit  as  able,  yea,  and  sup- 
pose he  should  do  it  as  justly  and  righteously  too,  yet  his 
making  of  himself  a  judge,  would  be  an  affront  to  the  king, 
and  an  act  of  rebellion,  and  so  a  transgression  worthy  of 
punishment. 

Why,  Pharisee,  God  hath  appointed,  that  by  the  right- 
eousness of  his  Son,  and  by  that  righteousness  only,  men 
shall  be  justified  in  his  sight  from  the  curse  of  the  law. 
Wherefore,  take  heed,  and  at  thy  peril,  whatever  thy 
righteousnesss  is,  confront  not  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
therewith.  I  say,  bring  it  not  in,  let  it  not  plead  for  thee 
at  the  bar  of  God,  nor  do  thou  plead  for  that  in  his  court 
of  justice;  for  thou  canst  not  do  this  and  be  innocent.  If 
he  trust  to  his  righteousness,  he  hath  sinned,  says  Ezekiel. 
Mark  the  text,  "  When  I  shall  say  to  the  righteous,  that  he 
shall  surely  live  ;  if  he  trust  to  his  own  righteousness,  and 
commit  iniquity,  all  his  righteousness  shall  not  be  remem- 
bered :  but  for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath  committed,  he 
shall  die  for  it ;"  Ezek.  xxxiii.  13. 

Observe  a  few  things  from  this  text  ;  and  they  are  these 
that  follow. 

1.  Here  is  a  righteous  man  ;  a  man  with  whom  we  do 
not  hear  that  the  God  of  heaven  finds  fault. 

2.  Here  is  a  promise  made  to  this  man,  that  he  shall 
surelv  live  •  but  on  this  condition,  that  he  trust  not  to  his 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  r/HE  PUBLICAN.  127 

own  righteousness.  Whence  it  is  manifest,  that  the  promise 
of  life  to  this  righteous  man,  is  not  for  the  sake  of  his 
righteousness,  hut  for  the  sake  of  something  else ;  to  wit, 
the  righteousness  of  Christ. 

1.  Not  for  the  sake  of  his  own  righteousness.  This  is 
evident,  because  we  are  permitted,  yea,  commanded,  to  trust 
in  the  righteousness  that  saveth  us.  The  righteousness  of 
God  is  unto  us  all,  and  upon  all  that  believe ;  that  is,  trust 
in  it,  and  trust  to  it  for  justification.  Now  therefore,  if 
thy  righteousness,  when  most  perfect,  could  save  thee,  thou 
mightst,  yea  oughtst,  most  boldly  to  trust  therein.  But 
since  thou  art  forbidden  to  trust  to  it,  it  is  evident  it  cannot 
save ;  nor  is  it  for  the  sake  of  that,  that  the  righteous  man 
is  saved;  Rom.  iii.  21,  22. 

2.  But  for  the  sake  of  something  else,  to  wit,  for  the  sake 
of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  "  Whom  God  hath  set  forth 
to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare 
his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are  past, 
through  the  forbearance  of  God ;  to  declare,  I  say,  at  this 
time  his  righteousness,  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  jus- 
tifier  of  him  that  believeth  in  Jesus ;"  Rom.  iii.  25,  26 ; 
see  Phil.  iii.  6-8. 

"  If  he  trust  to  his  own  righteousness,  and  commit  ini- 
quity, all  his  righteousness  shall  not  be  remembered ;  but 
for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath  committed  (in  trusting  to  his 
own  righteousness),  he  shall  die  for  it." 

Note  hence  further. 

1.  That  there  is  more  virtue  in  one  sin  to  destroy,  than 
in  all  thy  righteousness  to  save  thee  alive.  If  he  trust,  if 
he  trust  ever  so  little,  if  he  do  at  all  trust  to  his  own  right- 
eousness, all  his  righteousness  shall  be  forgotten ;  and  by, 
and  for,  and  in,  the  sin  that  he  hath  committed,  in  trusting 
to  it,  he  shall  die. 

2.  Take  notice  also,  that  there  are  more  damnable  sins 
than  those  that  are  against  the  moral  law.  By  whioh  of 
the  ten  commandments  is  trusting  to  our  own  righteous- 
ness forbidden  ?  Yet  it  is  a  sin :  it  is  a  sin  therefore  for- 
bidden by  the  gospel,  and  is  included,  lurketh  close  in,  yea, 


128  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

is  the  very  root  of,  unbelief  itself ;  "  He  that  believes  not 
shall  be  damned."  But  he  that  trusteth  in  his  own  right- 
eousness doth  not  believe,  neither  in  the  truth,  nor  suffi- 
ciency of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  save  him,  therefore 
he  shall  be  damned. 

But  how  is  it  manifest,  that  he  that  trusteth  to  his  own 
righteousness,  doth  it  through  a  doubt,  or  unbelief  of  the 
truth  or  sufficiency  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  ? 

I  answer,  because  he  trusteth  to  his  own.  A  man  will 
never  willingly  choose  to  trust  to  the  worst  of  helps,  when 
he  believes  there  is  a  better  as  near,  and  to  be  had  as  soon, 
and  that  too,  upon  as  easy,  if  not  more  easy  terms.  If  he 
that  trusteth  to  his  own  righteousness  for  life,  did  believe 
that  there  is  indeed  such  a  thing  as  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  to  justify,  and  that  this  righteousness  of  Christ  has 
in  it  all-sufficiency  to  do  that  blessed  work,  be  sure  he 
would  choose  that,  thereon  to  lay,  lean,  and  venture  his 
soul,  that  he  saw  was  the  best,  and  most  sufficient  to  save  ; 
especially  when  he  saw  also  (and  see  that  he  must,  when  he 
sees  the  righteousness  of  Christ),  to  wii,  that  that  is  to  be 
obtained  as  soon,  because  as  near,  and  to  be  had  on  as  easy 
terms :  nay,  upon  easier  than  man's  own  righteousness.  I 
say,  he  would  sooner  choose  it,  because  of  the  weight  of 
salvation,  of  the  worth  of  salvation,  and  of  the  fearful  sor- 
row that  to  eternity  will  overtake  him  that  in  this  thing 
shall  miscarry.  It  is  for  heaven,  it  is  to  escape  hell,  wrath, 
and  damnation,  saith  the  soul  ;  and  therefore  I  will,  I 
must,  I  dare  not  but  choose  that,  and  that  only,  that  I  be- 
lieve to  be  the  best  and  most  sufficient  help  in  so  great  a 
concern  as  soul-concern  is.  So  then  he  that  trusteth  to 
his  own  righteousness,  does  it  of  unbelief  of  the  sufficiency 
of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  save  him. 

Wherefore  this  sin  of  trusting  to  his  own  righteousness 
is  a  most  high  transgression  ;  because  it  contemneth  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  which  is  the  only  righteousness 
that  is  sufficient  to  save  from  the  curse  of  the  law.  it  also 
disalloweth  the  design  of  heaven,  and  the  excellency  of  the 
mvsterv  of  the  wisdom  of  God,  in  designing  this  way  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  129 

salvation  for  man.  What  shall  I  say,  It  also  seeketh  to 
rob  God  of  the  honour  of  the  salvation  of  man.  It  seeketh 
to  take  the  crown  from  the  head  of  Christ,  and  to  set  it 
upon  the  hypocrite's  head  ;  therefore,  no  marvel  that  this 
one  sin  he  of  that  weight,  virtue,  and  power,  as  to  sink 
that  man  and  his  righteousness  into  hell,  that  leaneth  thereon, 
or  trusteth  unto  it. 

But,  Pharisee,  I  need  not  talk  thus  unto  thee  ;  for  thou 
art  not  the  man  that  hath  that  righteousness  that  God 
findeth  not  fault  withal ;  nor  is  it  to  be  found,  but  with 
him  that  is  ordained  to  he  the  Saviour  of  mankind  ;  nor  is 
there  any  such  one  besides  Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ. 
What  madness  then  has  brought  thee  into  the  temple,  there 
in  an  audacious  manner  to  stand  and  vaunt  before  God, 
saying,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,  I  am  not  as  other  men  are  ?" 

Dost  thou  not  know,  that  he  that  breaks  one,  breaks  all 
the  commandments  of  God  ;  and  consequently,  that  he  that 
keeps  not  all,  keeps  none  at  all  of  the  commandments  of 
God  ?  Saith  not  the  scripture  the  same  1  "  For  whosoever 
shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  he 
is  guilty  of  all ;"  Jam.  ii.  10.  Be  confounded  then,  be  con- 
founded. 

Dost  thou  know  the  God  with  whom  now  thou  hast  to 
do  ?  He  is  a  God  that  cannot  (as  he  is  just)  accept  of  an 
half  righteousness  for  a  whole  ;  of  a  lame  righteousness  for 
a  sound  ;  of  a  sick  righteousness  for  a  well  and  healthy 
one  ;  Mai.  i.  7,  8.  And  if  so,  how  should  he  then  accept 
of  that  which  is  no  righteousness  ?  I  say,  how  should  he 
accept  of  that  which  is  none  at  all,  for  thine  is  only  such  ? 
And  if  Christ  said,  "  When  you  have  done  all,  say,  We 
are  unprofitable,"  how  earnest  thou  to  say,  before  thou 
hadst  done  one  thing  well,  I  am  better,  more  righteous  than 
other  men  1 

Didst  thou  believe,  when  thou  saidst  it,  that  God  knew 
thy  heart  ?  Hadst  thou  said  this  to  the  Publican,  it  had 
been  a  high  and  rampant  expression  ;  but  to  say  this  be- 
fore God,  to  the  face  of  God,  when  he  knew  that  thou  wert 
vile,  and  a  sinner  from  the  womb,  and  from  the  conception, 


130  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

spoils  all.  It  was  spoken  to  put  a  check  to  thy  arrogancy, 
when  Christ  said,  "  Ye  are  they  that  justify  yourselves  he- 
fore  men  ;  but  God  knoweth  your  hearts  ;"  Luke  xvi.  15. 

Hast  thou  taken  notice  of  this,  that  God  judgeth  the  fruit 
by  the  heart  from  whence  it  comes  ?  "A  good  man,  out 
of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart,  bringeth  forth  that  which 
is  good  ;  and  an  evil  man,  out  of  the  evil  treasure  of  his 
heart,  bringeth  forth  that  which  is  evil ;"  Luke  vi.  45. 
Nor  can  it  be  otherwise  concluded,  but  that  thou  art  an 
evil  man,  and  so  that  all  thy  supposed  good  is  nought  but 
badness  ;  for  that  thou  hast  made  it  to  stand  in  the  room 
of  Jesus,  and  hast  dared  to  commend  thyself  to  the  living 
God  thereby  :  for  thou  hast  trusted  in  thy  shadow  of  right- 
eousness, and  committed  iniquity.  Thy  sin  hath  melted 
away  thy  righteousness,  and  turned  it  to  nothing  but  dross ; 
or,  if  you  will,  to  the  early  dew,  like  to  which  it  goeth 
away,  and  so  can  by  no  means  do  thee  good,  when  thou 
shalt  stand  in  need  of  salvation  and  eternal  life  of  God. 

But,  further,  thou  sayst  thou  art  righteous ;  but  they  are 
but  vain  words.  Knowest  thou  not  that  thy  zeal,  which  is 
the  life  of  thy  righteousness,  is  preposterous  in  many 
things  1  What  else  means  thy  madness,  and  the  rage  thereof, 
against  men  as  good  as  thyself.  True,  thy  being  ignorant 
that  they  are  good,  may  save  thee  from  the  commission  of 
the  sin  that  is  unpardonable ;  but  it  will  never  keep  thee 
from  spot  in  God's  sight,  but  will  make  both  thee  and  thy 
righteousness  culpable. 

Paul,  who  was  once  as  brave  a  Pharisee  as  thou  canst  be, 
calleth  much  of  that  zeal  which  he  in  that  estate  was  pos- 
sessed with,  and  lived  in  the  exercise  of,  madness ;  yea,  ex- 
ceeding madness  (Acts  xxvi.  9-11  ;  Phil,  iii.  5,  6);  and  of 
the  same  sort  is  much  of  thine,  and  it  must  be  so ;  for  a 
lawyer,  a  man  for  the  law,  and  that  resteth  in  it,  must  be 
a  persecutor ;  yea,  a  persecutor  of  righteous  men,  and  that 
of  zeal  to  God  ;  because  by  the  law  is  begotten,  through  the 
weakness  that  it  meeteth  with  in  thee,  sourness,  bitterness 
of  spirit,  and  anger  against  him  that  rightfully  condemneth 
thee  of  folly,  for  choosing  to  trust  to  thy  own  righteous- 


TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  131 

ness  when  a  better  is  provided  of  God  to  save  us  ;  Gal. 
iv.  28-31.  Thy  righteousness  therefore  is  deficient ;  yea, 
thy  zeal  for  the  law,  and  the  men  of  the  law,  has  joined 
madness  with  thy  moral  virtues,  and  made  thy  righteous- 
ness unrighteousness :  how  then  canst  thou  be  upright  be- 
fore the  Lord  ? 

Further,  has  not  the  pride  of  thy  spirit  in  this  hot- 
headed zeal  for  thy  Pharisaical  notions  run  thee  upon  think- 
ing that  thou  art  able  to  do  more  than  God  hath  enjoined 
thee,  and  so  able  to  make  thyself  more  righteous  than  God 
requireth  thou  shouldst  be  ?  What  else  is  the  cause  of  thy 
adding  laws  to  God's  laws,  precepts  to  God's  precepts,  and 
traditions  to  God's  appointment  ?  Mark  vii.  Nay,  hast  thou 
not,  by  thus  doing,  condemned  the  law  of  want  of  perfec- 
tion, and  so  the  God  that  gave  it,  of  want  of  wisdom  and 
faithfulness  to  himself  and  thee  1 

Nay,  I  say  again,  hath  not  thy  thus  doing  charged  God 
with  being  ignorant  of  knowing  what  rules  there  needed  to 
be  imposed  on  his  creatures  to  make  their  obedience  com- 
plete ?  And  doth  not  this  madness  of  thine  intimate,  more- 
over, that  if  thou  hadst  not  stepped  in  with  the  bundle  of 
thy  traditions,  righteousness  had  been  imperfect,  not  through 
man's  weakness,  but  through  impediment  in  God,  or  in  his 
ministering  rules  of  righteousness  unto  us  1 

Now,  when  thou  hast  thought  on  these  things,  fairly 
answer  thyself  these  few  questions.  Is  not  this  arrogancy  ? 
Is  not  this  blasphemy  ?  Is  not  this  to  condemn  God,  that 
thou  mightst  be  righteous  ?  And  dost  thou  think,  this  is 
indeed  the  way  to  be  righteous  ? 

But  again,  what  means  thy  preferring  of  thine  own 
rules,  laws,  statutes,  ordinances,  and  appointments,  before 
the  rules,  laws,  statutes,  and  appointments  of  God  ? 
Thinkest  thou  this  to  be  right?  Whither  will  thy  zeal, 
thy  pride,  and  thy  folly  carry  thee  ?  Is  there  more  reason, 
more  equity,  more  holiness  in  thy  tradition,  than  in  the 
holy,  and  just,  and  good  commandments  of  God]  Rom.  vii. 
12.  Why  then,  I  say,  dost  thou  reject  the  commandment 
of  God,  to  keep  thine  own  tradition  ?     Yea,  why  dost  thou 


132  THE  PIIARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

rage,  and  rail,  and  cry  out,  when  men  keep  not  thy  law,  or 
the  rule  of  thine  order,  and  tradition  of  thine  elders,  and 
yet  shut  thine  eyes,  or  wink  with  them,  when  thou  thyself 
shalt  live  in  the  breach  of  the  law  of  God  ?  Yea,  why  wilt 
thou  condemn  men,  when  they  keep  not  thy  law,  but  study 
for  an  excuse,  yea,  plead  for  them  that  live  in  the  breach 
of  God's?  Mark  vii.  10-13.  Will  this  go  for  righteous- 
ness in  the  day  of  God  Almighty  ?  Nay,  rather,  will 
not  this,  like  a  mill-stone  about  thy  neck,  drown  thee  in 
the  deeps  of  hell  1  0  the  blindness,  the  madness,  the 
pride,  that  dwells  in  the  hearts  of  these  pretended  righteous 
men  ! 

Again,  What  kind  of  righteousness  of  thine  is  this  that 
standeth  in  a  mis-esteeming  of  God's  commands  ?  Some 
thou  settest  too  high,  and  some  too  low  ;  as  in  the  text, 
thou  hast  set  a  ceremony  above  faith,  above  love,  and  above 
hope  in  the  mercy  of  God  ;  when  as  it  is  evident,  the  things 
last  mentioned,  are  the  things  of  the  first  rate,  the  weightier 
matters  ;  Matt,  xxiii.  ]  7. 

Again,  Thou  kast  preferred  the  gold  above  the  temple 
that  sanctifieth  the  gold  ;  and  the  gift  above  the  altar  that 
sanctifieth  the  gift ;  Matt,  xxiii.  17. 

I  say  again,  What  kind  of  righteousness  shall  this  be 
called  ?  What  back  will  such  a  suit  of  apparel  fit,  that  is 
set  together  to  what  it  should  be  ?  Nor  can  other  righteous- 
ness proceed,  where  a  wrong  judgment  precedeth  it. 

This  misplacing  of  God's  laws  cannot,  I  say,  but  produce 
misplaced  obedience.  It  indeed  produceth  a  monster,  an 
ill-shaped  thing,  unclean,  and  an  abomination  to  the  Lord. 
For  "  see,"  saith  he  (if  thou  wilt  be  making),  "  that  thou 
make  all  things  according  to  the  pattern  shewn  thee  in  the 
mount."  Set  faith,  where  faith  should  stand  ;  a  moral, 
where  a  moral  should  stand  ;  and  a  ceremony,  where  a  cere- 
mony should  stand  :  for  this  turning  of  things  upside  down 
shall  be  esteemed  as  the  potter's  clay.  And  wilt  thou  call 
this  thy  righteousness  ?  yea,  wilt  thou  stand  in  this  ?  wilt 
thou  plead  for  this  ?  and  venture  an  eternal  concern  in  such 
a  piece  of  linsey-woolsey  as  this  ?    0  fools,  and  blind  ! 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  J33 

But,  further,  let  us  come  a  little  closer  to  the  point.  0 
blind  Pharisee,  thou  standest  to  thy  righteousness  :  what 
dost  thou  mean  1  Wouldst  thou  have  mercy  for  thy  right- 
eousness, or  justice  for  thy  righteousness. 

If  mercy,  what  mercy  I  Temporal  things  God  giveth  to 
the  unthankful  and  unholy  :  nor  doth  he  use  to  sell  the 
world  to  man  for  righteousness.  The  earth  hath  he  given 
to  the  children  of  men.  But  this  is  not  the  thing :  thou 
wouldst  have  eternal  mercy  for  thy  righteousness  ;  thou 
wouldst  have  God  think  upon  what  an  holy,  what  a  good, 
what  a  righteous  man  thou  art  and  hast  been.  But  Christ 
died  not  for  the  good  and  righteous,  nor  did  he  come  to 
call  such  to  the  banquet  that  grace  hath  prepared  for  the 
world.  "  I  came  not, — I  am  not  come  (saith  Christ)  to  call 
the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance  ;"  Mark  ii. ;  Rom.  v. 
Yet  this  is  thy  plea  ;  Lord,  God,  I  am  a  righteous  man  ; 
therefore  grant  me  mercy,  and  a  share  in  thy  heavenly 
kingdom.  What  else  dost  thou  mean  when  thou  sayst, 
"  God  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are  ?" 
Why  dost  thou  rejoice,  why  art  thou  glad  that  thou  art 
more  righteous  (if  indeed  thou  art)  than  thy  neighbour,  if 
it  is  not  because  thou  thinkest  that  thou  hast  got  the  start 
of  thy  neighbour,  with  reference  to  mercy  ;  and  that  by 
thy  righteousness  thou  hast  insinuated  thyself  into  God's 
affections,  and  procured  an  interest  in  his  eternal  favour  ? 
But, 

What,  what  hast  thou  done  by  thy  righteousness  ?  I  say, 
What  hast  thou  given  to  God  thereby  ?  And  what  hath  he 
received  of  thy  hand  '?  Perhaps  thou  wilt  say,  righteous- 
ness pleaseth  God  :  but  I  answer  no,  not  thine,  with  respect 
to  justification  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  unless  it  be  as 
perfect  as  the  justice  it  is  yielded  to,  and  as  the  law  that 
doth  command  it.  But  thine  is  not  such  a  righteousness  : 
no,  thine  is  speckled,  thine  is  spotted,  thine  makes  thee  to 
look  like  a  speckled  bird  in  his  eye-sight. 

Thy  righteousness  has  added  iniquity,  because  it  has  kept 
thee  from  a  belief  of  thy  need  of  repentance,  and  because  it 
has  emboldened  thee  to  thrust  thyself  audaciously  into  the 


134  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

presence  of  God,  and  made  thee  even  before  his  holy  eyes, 
which  are  so  pure,  that  they  cannot  look  on  iniquity  (Hab. 
i.  13),  to  vaunt,  boast,  and  brag  of  thyself,  and  of  thy  tot- 
tering, ragged,  stinking  uncleanness  ;  for  all  our  righteous- 
nesses are  as  menstruous  rags,  because  they  How  from  a  thing, 
a  heart,  a  man,  that  is  unclean.     But, 

Again,  Wouldst  thou  have  mercy  for  thy  righteous- 
ness ?  For  whom  wouldst  thou  have  it :  for  another,  or  for 
thyself  ?  If  for  another  (and  it  is  most  proper  that  a  right- 
eous man  should  intercede  for  another  by  his  righteousness, 
rather  than  for  himself),  then  thou  thrustest  Christ  out  of 
his  place  and  office,  and  makest  thyself  to  be  a  saviour  in 
his  stead  ;  for  a  mediator  there  is  already,  even  a  mediator 
between  God  and  man,  and  he  is  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

But  dost  thou  plead  by  thy  righteousness  for  mercy  for 
thyself  1     Why,  in  doing  so,  thou  impliest — 

1.  That  thy  righteousness  can  prevail  with  God  more 
than  can  thy  sins  ;  I  say,  that  thy  righteousness  can  prevail 
with  God  to  preserve  thee  from  death  more  than  thy  sins 
can  prevail  with  him  to  condemn  thee  to  it.  And  if  so, 
what  follows,  but  that  thy  righteousness  is  more,  and  has 
been  done  in  a  fuller  spirit  than  ever  were  thy  sins  ?  But 
thus  to  insinuate,  is  to  insinuate  a  lie  ;  for  there  is  no  man 
but,  while  he  is  a  sinner,  sinneth  with  a  more  full  spirit 
than  a  good  man  can  act  righteousness  withal. 

A  sinner,  when  he  sinneth,  he  doth  it  with  all  his  heart, 
and  Avith  all  his  mind,  and  with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all 
his  strength  ;  nor  hath  he  in  his  ordinary  course  any  thing 
that  bindeth.  But  with  a  good  man  it  is  not  so  ;  all  and 
every  whit  of  himself,  neither  is,  nor  can  be,  in  every  good 
duty  that  he  doth.  For  when  he  would  do  good,  evil  is 
present  with  him.  And  again,  "  The  flesh  lusteth  against 
the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh,  and  these  arc 
contrary  one  to  the  other,  so  that  ye  cannot  do  the  things 
that  ye  would  ;"  Gal.  v.  17. 

Now,  if  a  good  man  cannot  do  good  things  with  that 
oneness  and  universalness  of  mind,  as  a  wicked  man  doth 
gin  with,  then  is  his  sin  heavier  to  weigh  him  down  to  hell 
than  is  his  righteousness  to  buoy  him  up  to  the  heavens. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  TnE  PUBLICAN.  135 

And  again,  I  say,  if  the  righteousness  of  a  good  man 
comes  short  of  his  sin,  both  in  number,  weight,  and  mea- 
sure, as  it  doth  (for  a  good  man  shrinks  and  quakes  at  the 
thoughts  of  God's  entering  into  judgment  with  him,  Psalm 
cxliii.  2)  ;  then  is  his  iniquity  more  than  his  righteousness. 
And  I  say  again,  if  the  sin  of  one  that  is  truly  gracious, 
and  so  of  one  that  hath  the  best  of  principles,  is  heavier 
and  mightier  to  destroy  him  than  is  his  righteousness  to 
save  him,  how  can  it  be  that  the  Pharisee,  that  is  not  gra- 
cious, but  a  mere  carnal  man  (somewhat  reformed  and 
painted  over  with  a  few  lean  and  low  formalities),  should 
with  his  empty,  partial,  hypocritical  righteousness  counter- 
poise his  great,  mighty,  and  weighty  sins,  that  have  cleaved 
to  him  in  every  state  and  condition  of  his,  to  make  him 
odious  in  the  sight  of  God  ? 

2.  Dost  thou  plead  by  thy  righteousness  for  mercy  for 
thyself  ?  Why  in  so  doing  thou  impliest,  that  mercy  thou 
deservest  ;  and  that  is  next  door  to,  or  almost  as  much  as 
to  say,  God  oweth  me  what  I  ask  for.  The  best  that  can 
be  put  upon  it  is,  thou  seekest  security  from  the  direful 
curse  of  God,  as  it  were  by  the  works"  of  the  law,  Rom.  ix. 
31-33  ;  and  to  be  sure,  betwixt  Christ  and  the  law,  thou 
wilt  drop  into  hell.  For  he  that  seeks  for  mercy,  as  it 
were,  and  but  as  it  were,  by  the  works  of  the  law,  doth  not 
altogether  trust  thereto.  Nor  doth  he  that  seeks  for  that 
righteousness  that  should  save  him  as  it  were  by  the  works 
of  the  law,  seek  it  only  wholly  and  solely  at  the  hands  of 
mercy. 

So  then,  to  seek  for  that  that  should  save  thee,  neither  at 
the  hands  of  the  law,  nor  at  the  hands  of  mercy,  is  to  be 
sure  to  seek  it  where  it  is  not  to  be  found  ;  for  there  is  no 
medium  betwixt  the  righteousness  of  the  law  and  the 
mercy  of  God.  Thou  must  have  it  either  at  the  door  of  the 
law,  or  at  the  door  of  grace.  But  sayst  thou,  I  am  for 
having  of  it  at  the  hands  of  both.  I  will  trust  solely  to 
neither.  I  love  to  have  two  strings  to  my  bow.  If  one  of 
them,  as  you  think,  can  help  me  by  itself,  my  reason  tells 
me  that  both  can  help  me  better.      Therefore  will  I  be 

M 


136  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

righteous  and  good,  and  will  seek  by  my  goodness  to  Le 
commended  to  the  mercy  of  God  :  for  surely  he  that  hath 
something  of  his  own  to  ingratiate  himself  into  the  fa- 
vour of  his  prince  withal,  shall  sooner  obtain  his  mercy 
and  favour,  than  one  that  comes  to  him  stripped  of  all 
good. 

I  answer,  But  there  are  not  two  ways  to  heaven  :  there 
is  hut  one  new  and  living  way  which  Christ  hath  conse- 
crated fur  us  through  the  vail,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh  ;  and 
besides  that  one,  there  is  no  more  ;  Heb.  x.  19-24.  Why 
then  dost  thou  talk  of  two  strings  to  thy  bow  1  What  be- 
came of  him  that  had,  and  Avould  have  two  stools  to  sit  on  ? 
yea,  the  text  says  plainly,  that  therefore  they  obtained  not 
righteousness,  because  they  sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as 
it  were  by  the  works  of  the  law.  See  here,  they  are  dis- 
owned by  the  gospel,  because  they  sought  it  not  by  faith, 
that  is,  by  faith  only.  Again,  the  law,  and  the  righteous- 
ness thereof,  flies  from  them  (nor  could  they  attain  it, 
though  they  follow  after  it),  because  they  sought  it  not  by 
faith. 

Mercy  then  is  to  be  found  alone  in  Jesus  Christ.  Again, 
the  righteousness  of  the  law  is  to  be  obtained  only  by  faith 
of  Jesus  Christ  ;  that  is,  in  the  Son  of  God  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law  to  be  found  ;  for  he,  by  his  obedience  to  his 
Father,  is  become  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness. 
And  for  the  sake  of  his  legal  righteousness  (which  is  also 
called  the  righteousness  of  God,  because  it  was  God  in  the 
flesh  of  the  Lord  Jesus  that  did  accomplish  it),  is  mercy 
and  grace  from  God  extended  to  whoever  dependeth  by  faith 
upon  God  by  this  Jesus  his  righteousness  for  it.  And 
hence  it  is,  that  we  so  often  read,  that  this  Jesus  is  the  way 
to  the  Father  ;  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  forgiveth  us  ; 
that  by  the  obedience  of  one  many  are  made  righteous,  or 
justified  ;  and  that  through  this  man  is  preached  to  us  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  ;  and  that  by  him  all  that  believe  are 
justified  from  all  things  from  which  they  could  not  be  jus- 
tified by  the  law  of  Moses. 

Now,  though  I  here  do  make  mention  of  righteousness 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  13? 

and  mercy,  yet  I  hold  there  is  but  one  way,  to  wit,  to  eter- 
nal life  ;  which  way,  as  I  said,  is  Jesus  Christ  ;  for  he  is 
the  new,  the  only  new  and  living  way  to  the  Father  of 
mercies,  for  mercy  to  make  me  capable  of  abiding  with  him 
in  the  heavens  for  ever  and  ever. 

But  sayst  thou,  I  will  be  righteous  in  myself  that  I  may 
have  wherewith  to  commend  me  to  God,  when  I  go  to  him 
for  mercy  ? 

I  answer,  But  thou  blind  Pharisee,  I  tell  thee  thou  hast 
no  understanding  of  God's  design  by  the  gospel,  which  is, 
not  to  advance  man's  righteousness,  as  thou  dreamest,  but 
to  advance  the  righteousness  of  his  Son,  and  his  grace  by 
him.  Indeed,  if  God's  design  by  the  gospel  was  to  exalt 
and  advance  man's  righteousness,  then  that  which  thou 
hast  said  would  be  to  the  purpose  ;  for  what  greater  dig- 
nity can  be  put  upon  man's  righteousness,  than  to  admit 
it? 

I  say  then,  for  God  to  admit  it,  to  be  an  advocate,  an  in- 
tercessor, a  mediator  ;  for  all  these  are  they  which  prevail 
with  God  to  shew  me  mercy.  But  this  God  never  thought 
of,  much  less  could  he  thus  design  by  the  gospel ;  for  the 
text  runs  flat  against  it.  Not  of  works,  not  of  works  of 
righteousness,  which  we  have  done  ;  "  Not  of  works,  lest 
any  man  should  boast,"  saying,  Well,  I  may  thank  my 
own  good  life  for  mercy.  It  was  partly  for  the  sake  of  my 
own  good  deeds  that  I  obtained  mere}'-  to  be  in  heaven  and 
glory.  Shall  this  be  the  burden  of  the  song  of  heaven  1  or 
is  this  that  which  is  composed  by  that  glittering  heavenly 
host,  and  which  we  have  read  of  in  the  holy  book  of  God  ? 
No,  no  ;  that  song  runs  upon  other  feet — standeth  in  far 
better  strains,  being  composed  of  far  higher  and  truly  hea- 
venly matter  :  for  God  has  "  predestinated  us  unto  the 
adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according 
to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory 
of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  made  us  accepted  in  the  Be- 
loved :  in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood, 
the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  ;" 
Eph.  i.     And  it  is  requisite  that  the  song  be  framed  accord- 


13  3  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

ingly  ;  -wherefore  he  saith,  that  the  heavenly  song  runs 
thus — "  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open  the 
seals  thereof ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to 
God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  and  nation  ;  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings 
and  priests  ;  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth  ;-"  Rev.  v. 
9,  10. 

He  saith  not  that  they  have  redeemed,  or  helped  to  re- 
deem and  deliver  themselves  ;  but  that  the  Lamb,  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  ;  the  Lamb  only  was  he  that  re- 
deemed them.  Nor,  saith  he,  that  they  had  made  them- 
selves kings  and  priests  unto  God  to  offer  any  oblation, 
sacrifice,  or  offering  whatsoever,  but  that  the  same  Lamb 
had  made  them  such  :  for  they,  as  is  insinuated  by  the 
text,  were  in,  among,  one  with,  and  no  better  than  the 
kindreds,  tongues,  nations,  and  people  of  the  earth.  Bet- 
ter !  "  No,  in  no  wise,"  saith  Paul  (Rom.  iii.  9)  ;  there- 
fore their  separation  from  them  was  of  mere  mercy,  free 
grace,  good  will,  and  distinguishing  love ;  not  for,  or 
because  of  works  of  righteousness  which  any  of  them  have 
done  ;  no,  they  were  all  alike.  But  these,  because  beloved 
when  in  their  blood  (according  to  Ezek.  xvi.),  were  sepa- 
rated by  free  grace  ;  and  as  another  scripture  hath  it, 
"  redeemed  from  the  earth,"  and  from  among  men  by  blood  ; 
Rev.  xiv.  3,  4.  Wherefore  deliverance  from  the  ireful 
wrath  of  God  must  not,  neither  in  whole  nor  in  part,  be 
ascribed  to  the  whole  law,  or  to  all  the  righteousness  that 
comes  by  it,  but  to  this  Lamb  of  God,  Jesus,  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  ;  for  it  is  he  that  delivered  us  from  the  wrath 
to  come,  and  that  according  to  God's  appointment  ;  "  for 
God  hath  not  appointed  us  to  wrath.,  but  to  obtain  salvation 
by  (or  through)  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  1  Thess.  i.  10  ; 
v.  9.  Let  every  man,  therefore,  take  heed  what  he  doth, 
and  whereon  he  layeth  the  stress  of  his  salvation  ;  "  For 
other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which 
is  Jesus  Christ;"  1  Cor.  iii.  11. 

But  dost  thou  plead  still  as  thou  didst  before,  and  wilt 
thou  stand  thereto  '?     Why  then,  thy  design  must   over- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  139 

come  God,  or  God's  design  must  overcome  thee.  Thy  de- 
sign is  to  give  thy  good  life,  thy  good  deeds,  a  part  of  the 
glory  of  thy  justification  from  the  curse.  And  God's  design 
is  to  throw  all  thy  righteousness  out  into  the  street,  into 
the  dirt  and  dunghill,  as  to  that  thou  art  for  glory,  and 
for  glorying  here  before  God  ;  yea,  thou  art  sharing  in  the 
glory  of  justification  when  that  alone  belongeth  to  God. 
And  he  hath  said,  "  My  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another." 
Thou  wilt  not  trust  wholly  to  God's  grace  in  Christ  for  jus- 
tification ;  and  God  will  not  take  thy  stinking  righteous- 
ness in  as  a  partner  in  thy  acquitment  from  sin,  death, 
wratji,  and  hell.  Now  the  question  is,  Who  shall  prevail  ? 
God,  or  the  Pharisee  1  and  whose  word  shall  stand  1  his, 
or  the  Pharisee's  ? 

Alas  !  the  Pharisee  here  must  needs  come  down,  for  God 
is  greater  than  all.  Also,  he  hath  said,  that  no  flesh  shall 
glory  in  his  presence  ;  and  that  he  will  have  mercy,  and 
not  sacrifice.  And  again,  that  it  is  not  (or  shall  he)  in  him 
that  wills,  nor  in  him  that  runs,  but  in  God  that  sheweth 
mercy.  What  hope,  help,  stay,  or  relief,  then  is  there  left 
for  the  merit-monger  ]  What  twig,  or  straw,  or  twined 
thread,  is  left  to  be  a  stay  for  his  soul  1  This  besom  will 
sweep  away  his  cobweb  :  the  house  that  this  spider  doth  so 
lean  upon,  will  now  be  overturned,  and  he  in  it,  to  hell- 
fire  ;  for  nothing  less  than  everlasting  damnation  is  de- 
signed by  God,  and  that  for  this  fearful  and  unbelieving 
Pharisee  :  God  will  prevail  against  him  for  ever. 

3.  But  wilt  thou  yet  plead  thy  righteousness  for  mercy  ? 
Why,  in  so  doing  thou  takest  away  from  God  the  power  of 
giving  mercy.  For  if  it  be  thine  as  wages,  it  is  no  longer 
his  to  dispose  of  at  pleasure  ;  for  that  which  another  man 
oweth  me,  is  in  equity  not  at  his,  but  at  my  disposal.  Did 
I  say  that  by  this  thy  plea  thou  takest  away  from  God  the 
power  of  giving  mercy  \  I  will  add,  yea,  and  also  of  dis- 
posing of  heaven  and  life  eternal.  And  then,  I  pray  you, 
what  is  left  unto  God,  and  what  can  he  call  his  own  1  Not 
mercy,  for  that  by  thy  good  deeds  thou  hast  purchased  : 
not  heaven,  for  that  by  thy  good  deeds  thou  hast  purchased  : 


140  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

not  eternal  life,  for  that  by  thy  good  deeds  thou  hast  pur- 
chased. Thus,  Pharisee  (0  thou  self-righteous  man),  hast 
thou  set  up  thyself  above  grace,  mercy,  heaven,  glory  ;  yea, 
above  even  God  himself,  for  the  purchaser  should  in  reason 
be  esteemed  above  the  purchase. 

Awake,  man  !  What  hast  thou  done  1  Thou  hast  blas- 
phemed God  ;  thou  has  undervalued  the  glory  of  his  grace  ; 
thou  hast,  what  in  thee  lieth,  opposed  the  glorious  design  of 
heaven  ;  thou  hast  sought  to  make  thy  filthy  rags  to  share 
in  thy  justification. 

Now,  all  these  are  mighty  sins  ;  these  have  made  thine 
iniquity  infinite.  What  wilt  thou  do  ?  Thou  hast  created 
to  thyself  a  world  of  needless  miseries.  I  call  them  need- 
less, because  thou  hadst  more  than  enough  before.  Thou 
hast  set  thyself  against  God  in  a  way  of  contending,  thou 
standest  upon  thy  points  and  pantables  ;  thou  wilt  not 
bate.  God  an  ace  of  what  thy  righteousness  is  worth,  and 
wilt  also  make  it  worth  what  thyself  shalt  list :  thou  wilt 
be  thine  own  judge,  as  to  the  worth  of  thy  righteousness  ; 
thou  wilt  neither  hear  what  verdict  the  word  has  passed 
about  it,  nor  wilt  thou  endure  that  God  should  throw  it 
out  in  the  matter  of  thy  justification,  but  quarrelest  with 
the  doctrine  of  free  grace,  or  else  dost  wrest  it  out  of  its 
place  to  serve  thy  Pharisaical  designs  ;  saying,  "  God  1 
thank  thee,  I  am  not  as  other  men  ;"  fathering  upon  thy- 
self, yea,,  upon  God  and  thyself  a  stark  lie  ;  for  thou  art  as 
other  men  are,  though  not  in  this,  yet  in  that ;  yea,  in  a 
far  worse  condition  than  the  most  of  men  are.  Nor  will 
it  help  thee  anything  to  attribute  this  thy  goodness  to  the 
God  of  heaven  ;  for  that  is  but  a  mere  toying  ;  the  truth 
is,  the  God  that  thou  intendest  is  nothing  but  thy  right- 
eousness ;  and  the  grace  that  thou  supposest  is  nothing  but 
thine  own  good  and  honest  intentions.     So  that, 

4.  In  all  that  thou  sayst  thou  dost  but  play  the  down- 
right hypocrite  :  thou  pretendest  indeed  to  mercy,  but 
thou  intendest  nothing  but  merit  :  thou  seemest  to  give 
the  glory  to  God,  but  at  the  same  time  takest  it  all  to  thy- 
self :  thou  despisest  others,  and  criest  up  thyself,  and  in  con- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  141 

elusion,  fatherest  all  upon  God  by  word,  and  upon  thyself 
in  truth.  Nor  is  there  anything  more  common  among  this 
sort  of  men,  than  to  make  God,  his  grace,  and  kindness, 
the  stalking-horse  to  their  own  praise,  saying,  "  God,  I 
thank  thee,"  when  they  trust  to  themselves  that  they  are 
righteous,  and  have  not  need  of  any  repentance  ;  when  the 
truth  is,  they  are  the  worst  sort  of  men  in  the  world,  be- 
cause they  put  themselves  into  such  a  state  as  God  hath 
not  put  them  into,  and  then  impute  it  to  God,  saying,  God, 
I  thank  thee,  that  thou  hast  done  it  ;  for  what  greater  sin 
than  to  make  God  a  liar,  or  than  to  father  that  upon  God 
which  he  never  meant,  intended,  or  did  :  and  all  this  under 
a  colour  to  glorify  God,  when  there  is  nothing  else  designed, 
but  to  take  all  glory  from  him,  and  to  wear  it  on  thine  own 
head  as  a  crown,  and  a  diadem,  in  the  face  of  the  whole 
world. 

A  self-righteous  man,  therefore,  can  come  to  God  for 
mercy  no  otherwise  than  fawningly  :  for  what  need  of 
mercy  hath  a  righteous  man  1  Let  him  then  talk  of  mercy, 
of  grace,  and  goodness,  and  come  in  an  hundred  times  with 
his,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  in  his  mouth,  all  is  but  words  ; 
there  is  no  sense,  nor  savour,  nor  relish,  of  mercy  and 
favour  ;  nor  doth  he  in  truth,  from  his  very  heart,  under- 
stand the  nature  of  mercy,  nor  what  is  an  object  thereof ; 
but  when  he  thanks  God,  he  praises  himself:  when  he 
pleads  for  mercy,  he  means  his  own  merit ;  and  all  this  is 
manifest  from  what  doth  follow ;  for,  saith  he,  I  am  not 
as  this  Publican  :  thence  clearly  insinuating,  that  not  the 
good,  but  the  bad,  should  be  rejected  of  the  God  of  heaven : 
that  not  the  bad  but  the  good,  not  the  sinner,  but  the  self- 
righteous,  are  the  most  proper  objects  of  God's  favour. 
The  same  thing  is  done  by  others  in  this  our  day  :  favour, 
mercy,  grace,  and,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  is  in  their  mouths, 
but  their  own  strength,  sufficiency,  free-will,  and  the  like, 
they  are  the  things  they  mean  by  all  such  high  and  glorious 
expressions. 

But,  secondly,  If  thy  plea  be  not  for  mercy,  but  for  jus- 
tice^  then  to  speak  a  little  to  that.     1.  Justice  has  mea- 


]42  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

sures  and  rules  to  go  by ;  unto  which  measures  and  rules, 
if  thou  comest  not  up,  justice  can  do  thee  no  good.  Come 
then,  0  thou  blind  Pharisee,  let  us  pass  away  a  few  mi- 
nutes in  some  discourse  about  this.  Thou  demandest  jus- 
tice, because  God  hath  said,  that  the  man  that  doth  these 
things  shall  live  in  and  by  them.  And  again,  the  doers  of 
the  law  shall  be  justified,  not  in  a  way  of  mercy,  but  in  a 
way  of  justice :  "  He  shall  live  by  them."  But  what  hast 
thou  done,  0  blind  Pharisee  ?  What  hast  thou  done,  that 
thou  art  emboldened  to  venture  to  stand  and  fall  to  the 
most  perfect  justice  of  God  1  Hast  thou  fulfilled  the  whole 
law,  and  not  offended  in  one  point  ?  Hast  thou  purged 
thyself  from  the  pollutions  and  motions  of  sin  that  dwell 
in  thy  flesh,  and  work  in  thy  own  members  1  Is  the  very 
being  of  sin  rooted  out  of  thy  tabernacle  1  And  art  thou  now 
as  perfectly  innocent  as  ever  was  Jesus  Christ  1  Hast  thou, 
by  suffering  the  uttermost  punishment  that  justice  could 
justly  lay  upon  thee  for  thy  sins,  made  fair  and  full  satis- 
faction to  God,  according  to  the  tenor  of  his  law,  for  thy 
transgressions  ?  If  thou  hast  done  all  these  things,  then 
thou  mayst  plead  something,  and  yet  but  something,  for 
thyself,  in  a  way  of  justice.  Nay,  in  this  I  will  assert  no- 
thing, but  will  rather  inquire :  What  hast  thou  gained  by 
all  this  thy  righteousness  1  (We  will  now  suppose  what 
must  not  be  granted  :)  Was  not  this  thy  state  when  thou 
wast  in  thy  first  parents  ?  Wast  thou  not  innocent,  per- 
fectly innocent  and  righteous  ?  And  if  thou  shouldst  be  so 
now,  what  hast  thou  gained  thereby  1  Suppose  that  the 
man  that  had,  forty  years  ago,  forty  pounds  of  his  own,  and 
had  spent  it  all  since,  should  yet  be  able  now  to  shew  his 
forty  pounds  again ;  what  has  he  got  thereby,  or  how  much 
richer  is  he  at  last  than  he  was  when  he  first  set  up  for 
himself?  Nay,  doth  not  the  blot  of  his  ill  living  betwixt 
his  first  and  his  last,  lie  as  a  blemish  upon  him,  unless  he 
should  redeem  himself  also,  by  works  of  supererogation, 
from  the  scandal  that  justice  may  lay  at  his  door  for  that. 
But,  I  say,  suppose,  0  Pharisee,  this  should  be  thy  case, 
yet  God  is  not  bound  to  give  thee  in  justice  that  eternal 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  TOE  PUBLICAN.  143 

life  which  by  his  grace  he  bestoweth  upon  those  that  have 
redemption  from  sin,  by  the  blood  of  his  Son.  In  justice, 
therefore,  when  all  comes  to  all,  thou  canst  require  no  more 
than  an  endless  life  in  an  earthly  paradise  ;  for  there  thou 
wast  set  up  at  first  ;  nor  doth  it  appear  from  what  hath 
been  said,  touching  all  that  thou  hast  done  or  canst  do,  that 
thou  deservest  a  better  place. 

Did  I  say,  that  thou  mayst  require  justly  an  endless 
life  in  an  earthly  paradise  ?  Why,  I  must  add  to  that  say- 
ing this  proviso,  If  thou  continuest  in  the  law,  and  in  the 
righteousness  thereof ;  else  not. 

But  how  dost  thou  know  that  thou  shalt  continue  there- 
in ?  Thou  hast  no  promise  from  God's  mouth  for  that ; 
nor  is  grace  or  strength  ministered  to  mankind  by  the  co- 
venant that  thou  art  under.  So  that  still  thou  standest 
bound  to  thy  good  behaviour;  and  in  the  day  that  thou 
dost  give  the  first,  though  ever  so  little  a  trip,  or  stumble 
in  thy  obedience,  thou  forfeitest  thine  interest  in  paradise 
(and  in  justice),  as  to  any  benefit  there. 

But  alas  !  what  need  is  there  that  we  should  thus  talk 
of  things,  when  it  is  manifest  that  thou  hast  sinned,  not 
only  before  thou  wast  a  Pharisee,  but  when  after  the  most 
strictest  sect  of  thy  religion  thou  livest  also  a  Pharisee  ; 
yea,  and  now  in  the  temple,  in  thy  prayer  there,  thou 
shewest  thyself  to  be  full  of  ignorance,  pride,  self-conceit, 
and  horrible  arrogancy,  and  desire  of  vain  glory,  &c, 
which  are  none  of  them  the  seat  or  fruits  of  righteousness, 
but  the  seat  of  the  devil,  and  the  fruit  of  his  dwelling, 
even  at  this  time  in  thy  heart. 

Could  it  ever  have  been  imagined,  that  such  audacious 
impudence  could  have  put  itself  forth  in  any  mortal  man, 
in  his  approach  unto  God  by  prayer,  as  has  shewed  itself  in 
thee  ?  "  I  am  not  as  other  men,"  sayst  thou  !  But  is  this 
the  way  to  go  to  God  in  prayer  ?  "  The  prayer  of  the  up- 
right is  God's  delight."  But  the  upright  man  glorifies 
God's  justice,  by  confessing  to  God  the  vileness  and  pollu- 
tion of  his  state  and  condition  :  he  glorifies  God's  mercy, 
by  acknowledging,  that  that,  and  that  only,  as  communi- 


144  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

cated  of  God  l>y  Christ  to  sinners,  can  save  and  deliver  from 
the  curse  of  the  law. 

This,  I  say,  is  the  sum  of  the  prayer  of  the  just  and 
upright  man,  Joh.  i.  8 ;  xl.  4  ;  Acts  xiii.  22  ;  Psalm  xxxviii. ; 
li. ;  2  Sam.  vi.  21,  22  ;  and  not  as  thou  most  vain-gloriously 
vauntest  with  thy,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are." 

True,  when  a  man  is  accused  by  his  neighbours,  by  a 
brother,  by  an  enemy,  and  the  like,  if  he  be  clear  (and  he 
may  be  so,  as  to  Avhat  they  shall  lay  to  his  charge),  then 
let  him  vindicate,  justify,  and  accmit  himself,  to  the  utmost 
that  in  justice  and  truth  he  can  ;  for  his  name,  the  preser- 
vation whereof  is  more  to  be  chosen  than  silver  and  gold  ; 
also  his  profession,  yea,  the  name  of  God  too,  and  religion 
may  now  lie  at  stake,  by  reason  of  such  false  accusations, 
and  perhaps  can  by  no  means  (as  to  this  man)  be  covered 
and  vindicated  from  reproach  and  scandal,  but  by  his  jus- 
tifying of  himself.  Wherefore,  in  such  a  work,  a  man 
serveth  God,  and  saves  religion  from  hurt ;  yea,  as  he  that 
is  a  professor,  and  has  his  profession  attended  with  a  scan- 
dalous life,  hurteth  religion  thereby,  so  lie  that  has  his  pro- 
fession attended  with  a  good  life,  and  shall  suffer  it  not- 
withstanding to  lie  under  blame  by  false  accusations,  when 
it  is  in  the  power  of  his  hand  to  justify  himself,  hurteth 
religion  also.  But  the  case  of  the  Pharisee  is  otherwise. 
He  is  not  here  a-dealing  with  men,  but  God ;  not  seeking 
to  stand  clear  in  the  sight  of  the  world,  but  in  the  sight  of 
heaven  itself;  and  that  too,  not  with  respect  to  what  men 
or  angels,  but  with  respect  to  what  God  and  his  law  could 
charge  him  with,  and  justly  lay  at  his  door. 

This  therefore  mainly  altereth  the  case ;  for  a  man  here 
to  stand  thus  upon  his  point,  it  is  death ;  for  he  affronteth 
God,  he  giveth  him  the  lie,  he  reproveth  the  law  ;  and,  in 
sum,  accuseth  it  of  bearing  false  witness  against  him ;  he 
doth  this,  I  say,  even  by  saying,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,  I  am 
not  as  other  men  are  ;"  for  God  hath  made  none  of  this 
difference.  The  law  condemneth  all  man  as  sinners  ;  testi- 
fied! that  every  imagination  of  the  thought  of  the  heart  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  14.J 

the  sons  of  men  is  only  evil,  and  that  continually  ;  where- 
fore they  that  do  as  the  Pharisee  did,  to  wit,  seek  to  justify 
themselves  before  God  from  the  curse  of  the  law  by  their 
own  good  doings,  though  they  also,  as  the  Pharisee  did, 
seem  to  give  God  the  thanks  for  all  ;  yet  do  most  horribly 
sin,  even  by  their  so  doing,  and  shall  receive  a  Pharisee's 
reward  at  last.  Wherefore,  0  thou  Pharisee,  it  is  a  vain 
thing  for  thee  either  to  think  of,  or  to  ask  for,  at  God's 
hand,  either  mercy  or  justice.  Because  mercy  thou  canst 
not  ask  for,  from  sense  of  want  of  mercy,  because  thy  right- 
eousness, which  is  by  the  law,  hath  utterly  blinded  thine 
eyes  ;  and  complimenting  with  God  doth  nothing  :  and  as 
for  justice,  that  can  do  thee  no  good;  but  the  more  just 
God  is,  and  the  more  by  that  he  acteth  towards  thee,  the 
more  miserable  and  fearful  will  be  thy  condition,  because 
of  the  deficiency  of  thy  so  much,  by  thee,  esteemed  right- 
eousness. 

What  a  deplorable  condition  then  is  a  poor  Pharisee  in  ! 
For  mercy  he  cannot  pray ;  he  cannot  pray  for  it  with  all 
his  heart,  for  he  seeth  indeed  no  need  thereof.  True,  the 
Pharisee,  though  he  was  impudent  enough,  yet  would  not 
take  all  from  God  ;  he  would  still  count,  that  there  was 
due  to  him  a  tribute  of  thanks  :  "  God,  I  thank  thee,"  saith 
he  :  but  yet  not  a  bit  of  this  for  mercy  ;  but  for  that  he  had 
let  him  live  (for  I  know  not  for  what  he  did  thank  him- 
self), till  he  had  made  himself  better  than  other  men.  But 
that  betterment  was  a  betterment  in  none  other's  judgment 
than  that  of  his  own  ;  and  that  was  none  other  but  such 
an  one  as  was  false.  So  then  the  Pharisee  is  by  this  time 
quite  out  of  doors  :  his  righteousness  is  worth  nothing,  his 
prayer  is  worth  nothing,  his  thanks  to  God  are  worth  no- 
thing ;  for  that  what  he  had  was  scanty  and  imperfect,  and  it 
was  his  pride  that  made  him  offer  it  to  God  for  acceptance  ; 
nor  could  his  fawning  thanksgiving  better  Ms  case,  or 
make  his  matter  at  all  good  before  God. 

But  I  will  warrant  you,  the  Pharisee  was  so  far  off  from 
thinking  thus  of  himself,  and  of  his  righteousness,  that  he 
thought  of  nothing  so  much  as  of  this,  that  he  was  a  happy 


14G  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

man  :  yea,  happier  by  far  than  other  his  fellow  rationals  : 
yea,  he  plainly  declares  it,  when  he  saith,  "  God,  I  thank 
thee,  I  am  not  as  other  men  are." 

0  what  a  fool's  paradise  was  the  heart  of  the  Pharisee 
now  in,  while  he  stood  in  the  temple  praying  to  God  !  God, 
I  thank  thee,  said  he  ;  for  I  am  good  and  holy  ;  I  am  a 
righteous  man  ;  I  have  been  full  of  good  works  ;  I  am  no 
extortioner,  unjust,  nor  adulterer,  nor  yet  as  this  wretched 
Publican.  I  have  kept  myself  strictly  to  the  rule  of  mine 
order,  and  my  order  is  the  most  strict  of  all  orders  now  in 
being  :  I  fast,  I  pray,  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess. 
Yea,  so  forward  am  I  to  be  a  religious  man,  so  ready  have 
I  been  to  listen  after  my  duty,  that  I  have  asked  both  of 
God  and  man  the  ordinances  of  judgment  and  justice  ;  I 
take  delight  in  approaching  to  God.  What  less  now  can  be 
mine  than  the  heavenly  kingdom  and  glory  1 

Now  the  Pharisee,  like  Haman,  saith  in  his  heart,  To 
whom  would  the  king  delight  to  do  honour  more  than  to 
myself  1  Where  is  the  man  that  so  pleaseth  God,  and,  con- 
sequently, that  in  equity  and  reason  should  be  beloved  of 
God  like  me  1  Thus  like  the  prodigal's  brother,  he  pleadeth, 
saying,  "  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee  ;  neither 
transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  commandments,"  Luke  xv. 
29. — 0  brave  Pharisee  !  but  go  on  in  thine  oration — "  Nor 
yet  as  this  Publican." 

Poor  wretch,  quoth  the  Pharisee  to  the  Publican,  What 
comest  thou  for  1  Dost  think  that  such  a  sinner  as  thou 
art  shall  be  heard  of  God  1  God  heareth  not  sinners  ;  but 
if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God  (as  I  am,  as  I  thank 
God  I  am),  him  he  heareth.  Thou,  for  thy  part,  hast  been 
a  rebel  all  thy  days  :  I  abhor  to  come  nigh  thee,  or  to  touch 
thy  garments.  Stand  by  thyself,  come  not  near  me,  for  I 
am  more  holy  than  thou  ;  Isa.  lxv.  5. 

Hold,  stop  there,  go  no  further :  fie,  Pharisee,  fie  !  dost 
thou  know  before  whom  thou  standest,  to  whom  thou 
speakest,  and  of  what  the  matter  of  thy  silly  oration  is 
made  1  Thou  art  now  before  God,  thou  speakest  now  to 
God,  and  therefore  in  justice  and  honesty  thou  shouldst 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  147 

make  mention  of  his  righteousness,  not  of  thine  ;  of  his 
righteousness,  and  of  his  only. 

I  am  sure  Abraham,  of  whom  thou  sayst  he  is  thy  fa- 
ther, never  had  the  face  to  do  as  thou  hast  done,  though,  it 
is  to  he  presumed,  he  had  more  cause  so  to  do  than  thou 
hast,  or  canst  have.  Abraham  had  whereof  to  glory,  but 
not  before  God  ;  yea,  he  was  called  God's  friend,  and  yet 
would  not  glory  before  him  ;  but  humbleth  himself,  was 
afraid,  and  trembled  in  himself,  when  he  stood  before  him 
acknowledging  of  himself  to  be  but  dust  and  ashes  ;  Gen. 
xviii.  27,  30,  22  ;  Rom.  iv.  1,  2  ;  but  thou,  as  thou  hadst 
quite  forgot  that  thou  wast  framed  of  that  matter,  and  after 
the  manner  of  other  men,  standest  and  pleadest  thy  good- 
ness before  him.  Be  ashamed,  Pharisee  !  dost  thou  think 
that  God  hath  eyes  of  flesh,  or  that  he  seeth  as  man  sees  1 
Are  not  the  secrets  of  thy  heart  open  unto  him  1  Thinkest 
thou  with  thyself  that  thou,  with  a  few  of  thy  denied  ways, 
canst  cover  thy  rotten  wall,  that  thou  has  daubed  with  un- 
tempered  mortar,  and  so  hide  the  dirt  thereof  from  his  eyes  ; 
or  that  these  tine,  smooth,  and  oily  words,  that  come  out 
of  thy  mouth,  will  make  him  forget  that  thy  throat  is  an 
open  sepulchre,  and  that  thou  wTithin  art  full  of  dead  men's 
bones,  and  all  uncleanness  1  Thy  thus  cleansing  of  the 
outside  of  the  cup  and  platter,  and  thy  garnishing  of  the 
sepulchres  of  the  righteous,  is  nothing  at  all  in  God's  eyes, 
but  things  that  manifest  that  thou  art  an  hypocrite  and 
blind,  because  thou  takest  no  notice  of  that  which  is  within, 
which  yet  is  that  which  is  most  abominable  to  God.  For 
the  fruit,  alas  !  what  is  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  or  what  are  the 
streams  of  the  fountain  ?  Thy  fountain  is  defiled  ;  yea,  a 
denier,  and  so  that  which  maketh  the  whole  self,  with  thy 
works,  unclean  in  God's  sight. 

But,  Pharisee,  how  comes  it  to  pass  that  the  poor  Publi- 
can is  now  so  much  a  mote  in  thine  eye,  that  thou  canst 
not  forbear,  but  must  accuse  him  before  the  judgment-seat 
of  God — for  in  that  thou  sayst,  that  thou  art  not  even  as 
this  Publican,  thou  bringest  in  an  accusation,  a  charge,  a 
bill,  against  him  ?     What  has  he  done  1     Has  he  concealed 


148  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

any  of  thy  righteousness  1  or  has  he  secretly  informed  against 
thee,  that  thou  art  an  hypocrite  and  superstitious  ?  I  dare 
say,  the  poor  wretch  has  neither  meddled  nor  made  with 
thee  in  these  matters. 

But  what  aileth  thee,  Pharisee  1  Doth  the  poor  Publican 
stand  to  vex  thee  ?  Doth  he  touch  thee  with  his  dirty  gar- 
ments 1  or  doth  he  annoy  thee  with  his  stinking  breath  ? 
Doth  his  posture  of  standing  so  likt  a  man  condemned  of- 
fend thee  1  True,  he  now  standeth  with  his  hand  held 
up  at  God's  bar ;  he  pleads  guilty  tc  all  that  is  laid  to  his 
charge. 

He  cannot  strut,  vapour,  and  swagger  as  thou  dost ;  but 
why  offended  at  this  1  Oh,  hut  he  has  been  a  naughty  man, 
and  I  have  been  righteous  !  sayst  thou.  Well,  Pharisee, 
well,  his  naughtiness  shall  not  be  laid  to  thy  charge,  if  thou 
hast  chosen  none  of  his  ways.  But  since  thou  wilt  yet  bear 
me  down  that  thou  art  righteous,  shew  now,  even  now,  while 
thou  standest  before  God  with  the  Publican,  some,  though 
they  be  but  small,  yea,  though  but  very  small,  fruits  of  thy 
righteousness.  Let  the  Publican  alone,  since  he  is  speaking 
for  his  life  before  God.  Or,  if  thou  canst  not  let  him  alone, 
yet  do  not  speak  against  him  ;  for  thy  so  doing  will  but 
prove  that  thou  rememberest  the  evil  that  the  man  has 
done  unto  thee  ;  yea,  and  that  thou  bearest  him  a  grudge 
for  it  too,  and  while  you  stand  before  God. 

But,  Pharisee,  the  righteous  man  is  a  merciful  man,  and 
while  he  standeth  praying,  he  forgiveth ;  yea,  and  also  crieth 
to  God  that  he  will  forgive  him  too  ;  Mark  xi.  25,  26  ; 
Acts  vii.  60.  Hitherto  then  thou  hast  shewed  none  of  the 
fruits  of  thy  righteousness.  Pharisee,  righteousness  would 
teach  thee  to  love  this  Publican,  hut  thou  shewest  that  thou 
hatest  him.  Love  covereth  the  multitude  of  sins  ;  but  ha- 
tred and  unfaithfulness  revealeth  secrets. 

Pharisee,  thou  shouldst  have  remembered  this  thy  brother 

in  this  his  day  of  adversity,  and  shouldst  have  shewed  that 

thou  hadst  compassion  on  thy  brother  in  this  his  deplorable 

condition  ;  but  thou,  like  the  proud,  the  cruel,  and  the  ar- 

man.  hast  taken  thy  neighbour  at  the  advantage, 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  149 

and  that  when  lie  is  even  between  the  straits,  and  standing 
upon  the  pinnacle  of  difficulty,  betwixt  the  heavens  and  the 
hells,  and  hast  done  what  thou  couldst,  what  on  thy  part 
lay,  to  thrust  him  down  to  the  deep,  saying,  "  I  am  not 
even  as  this  Publican." 

What  cruelty  can  be  greater,  what  rage  more  furious, 
and  what  spite  and  hatred  more  damnable  and  implacable, 
than  to  follow,  or  take  a  man  while  he  is  asking  of  mercy 
at  God's  hands,  and  to  put  in  a  caveat  against  his  obtaining 
of  it,  by  exclaiming  against  him  that  he  is  a  sinner  ]  The 
master  of  righteousness  doth  not  so  :  "  Do  not  think  (saith 
he)  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father."  The  scholars  of 
righteousness  do  not  do  so.  "  But  as  for  me  (said  David), 
when  they  (mine  enemies)  were  sick  (and  the  Publican 
here  was  sick  of  the  most  malignant  disease),  my  clothing 
was  of  sackcloth,  I  humbled  my  soul  with  fasting,  and  my 
pyayer  (tcr  wit,  that  I  made  for  them)  returned  into  mine 
own  bosom.  I  behaved  myself  as  though  he  had  been  my 
friend  or  brother :  I  bowed  down  heavily,  as  one  that 
mourneth  for  his  mother ;"  John  v.  45  ;  Psalm  xxxv, 
13,  14. 

Pharisee,  dost  thou  see  here  how  contrary  thou  art  to 
righteous  men  ?  Now  then,  where  shall  we  find  out  one  to 
parallel  thee,  but  by  finding  him  out  that  is  called  "  the 
dragon  ;"  for  he  it  is  that  accuseth  the  poor  sinners  before 
God  ?  Zech.  iii.  ;  Rev.  xii. 

"  I  am  not  as  this  Publican."  Modesty  should  have  com- 
manded thee  to  have  bit  thy  tongue  as  to  this.  What  could 
the  angels  think,  but  that  revenge  was  now  in  thine  heart, 
and  but  that  thou  comest  up  into  the  temple  rather  to  boast 
of  thyself  and  accuse  thy  neighbour,  than  to  pray  to  the 
God  of  heaven  ;  for  what  petition  is  there  in  all  thy  prayer, 
that  gives  the  least  intimation  that  thou  hast  the  know- 
ledge of  God  or  thyself  ?  Nay,  what  petition  of  any  kind 
is  there  in  thy  vain-glorious  oration  from  first  to  last  ?  Only 
an  accusation  drawn  up,  and  that  against  one  helpless  and 
forlorn  ;  against  a  poor  man,  because  he  is  a  sinner  ;  drawn 
up,  I  say,  against  him  by  thee,  who  canst  not  make  proof 


150  THE  PHARtSEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

of  thyself  that  thou  art  righteous  ;  but  come  to  proofs  of 
righteousness,  and  thou  art  wanting  also.  What,  though 
thy  raiment  is  b<  tter  than  his,  thy  skin  may  be  full  as 
black  ;  yea,  what  if  thy  skin  be  whiter  than  his,  thy  heart 
may  be  yet  far  blacker.  Yea,  it  is  so,  for  the  truth  hath 
spoken  it ;  for  within,  you  are  full  of  excess  and  all  un- 
cleanness ;  Matt   xxiii. 

Pharisee,  thei  e  are  transgressions  against  the  second  table, 
and  the  Publican  shall  be  guilty  of  them  ;  but  there  are 
sins  also  against  the  first  table,  and  thou  thyself  art  guilty 
of  them. 

The  Publican,  in  that  he  was  an  extortioner,  unjust  and 
an  adulterer,  made  it  thereby  manifest  that  he  did  not  love 
his  neighbour  ;  and  thou  by  making  a  god,  a  saviour,  a 
deliverer,  of  thy  filthy  righteousness,  dost  make  it  appear, 
that  thou  dost  not  love  thy  God  ;  for  as  he  that  taketh,  or 
that  derogateth  from  his  neighbour  in  that  which  is  his 
neighbour's  due,  sinneth  against  his  neighbour  ;  so  he  that 
taketh  or  derogateth  from  God,  sinneth  against  God. 

Now,  then,  though  thou  hast  not,  as  thou  dost  imagine, 
played  at  that  low  game  as  to  derogate  from  thy  neigh- 
bour ;  yet  thou  hast  played  at  that  high  game  as  to  dero- 
gate from  thy  God  ;  for  thou  hast  robbed  God  of  the  glory 
of  salvation  ;  yea,  declared,  that  as  to  that  there  is  no  trust 
to  be  put  in  him.  "  Lo,  this  is  the  man  that  made  not  God 
his  strength  ;  but  trusted  in  the  abundance  of  his  riches, 
and  strengthened  himself  in  his  wickedness  ;"  Psalm  lii.  7. 

What  else  means  this  great  bundle  of  thy  own  righteous- 
ness, which  thou  hast  brought  with  thee  into  the  temple  ] 
yea,  what  means  else  thy  commending  of  thyself  because 
<rf  that,  and  so  thy  implicit  prayer,  that  thou  for  that 
mightst  find  acceptance  with  God  ? 

All  this,  what  does  it  argue,  I  say,  but  thy  diffidence  of 
God  ?  and  that  thou  countest  salvation  safer  in  thine  own 
righteousness  than  in  the  righteousness  of  God  1  and  that 
thy  own  love  to,  and  care  of  thy  own  soul,  is  far  greater, 
and  so  much  better,  than  is  the  care  and  love  of  God  1  And 
is  this  to  keep  the  first  table  ;  yea,  the  first  branch  of  that 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  151 

table,  which  saith,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  V 
for  thy  thus  doing  cannot  stand  with  love  to  God  ? 

How  can  that  man  say,  I  love  God,  who  from  his  very 
heart  shrinketh  to  trust  in  him  ?  Or,  how  can  that  man 
say,  I  would  glorify  God,  who  in  his  very  heart  refuseth  to 
stand  and  fall  by  his  mercy  ? 

Suppose  a  great  man  should  bid  all  the  poor  of  the  parish 
to  his  house  to  dinner,  and  should  moreover  send  by  the 
mouth  of  his  servant,  saying,  My  lord  hath  killed  his  fat- 
lings,  hath  furnished  his  table,  and  prepared  his  wine,  nor 
is  there  want  of  anything ;  come  to  the  banquet  :  Would 
it  not  be  counted  as  an  high  affront  to,  great  contempt  of, 
and  much  distrust  in,  the  goodness  of  the  man  of  the  house, 
if  some  of  these  guests  should  take  with  them,  out  of  their 
own  poor  store,  some  of  their  mouldy  crusts,  and  carry 
them  with  them,  lay  them  on  their  trenchers  upon  the  table 
before  the  lord  of  the  feast  and  the  rest  of  his  guests,  out 
of  fear  that  he  yet  would  not  provide  sufficiently  for  those 
he  had  bidden  to  the  dinner  that  he  had  made  ? 

Why,  Pharisee,  this  is  the  very  case;  thou  hast  been 
called  to  a  banquet,  even  to  the  banquet  of  God's  grace, 
and  thou  hast  been  disposed  to  go ;  but  behold,  thou  hast 
not  believed  that  he  would  of  his  own  cost  make  thee  a 
feast  when  thou  comest :  wherefore  of  thy  own  store  thou 
hast  brought  with  thee,  and  hast  laid  upon  thy  trencher  on 
his  table  thy  mouldy  crusts  in  the  presence  of  the  angels, 
and  of  this  poor  Publican ;  yea,  and  hast  vauntingly  said 
upon  the  whole,  "  God,  I  thank  thee,  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are."  I  am  no  such  needy  man;  Luke  xviii.  11.  "I 
am  no  extortioner,  nor  unjust,  nor  adulterer,  nor  even  as 
this  Publican."  I  am  come  indeed  to  thy  feast,  for  of  civi- 
lity I  could  do  no  less ;  but  for  thy  dainties,  I  need  them 
not,  I  have  of  such  things  enough  of  mine  own;  Luke 
xviii.  12.  I  thank  thee  therefore  for  thy  offer  of  kindness, 
but  I  am  not  as  those  that  have,  and  stand  in  need  thereof, 
"  nor  yet  as  this  Publican."  And  thus  feeding  upon  thine 
own  fare,  or  by  making  a  composition  of  his  and  thine  to- 
gether, thou  contemnest  God,  thou  countest  him  insuffi- 

N 


152  TIIE  PIIARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

cient  or  unfaithful ;  that  is,  either  one  that  has  not  enough, 
or  having  it,  will  not  bestow  it  upon  the  poor  and  n 
and,  therefore,  of  mere  pretence  thou  goest  to  his  banquet, 
but  yet  trustest  to  thy  own,  and  to  that  only. 

This  is  to  break  the  first  table ;  and  so  to  make  thyself  a 
sinner  of  the  highest  form:  for  the  sins  against  the  first 
table  are  sins  of  an  higher  nature  than  are  the  sins  against 
the  second.  True,  the  sins  of  the  second  table  are  also  sins 
against  God,  because  they  are  sins  against  the  command- 
ments of  God  :  but  the  sins  that  are  against  the  fi^t  table, 
are  sins  not  only  against  the  command,  but  against  the  very 
love,  strength,  holiness,  and  faithfulness  of  God  :  and  herein 
stands  thy  condition  ;  thou  hast  not,  thou  sayst,  thou  hast 
not  done  injury  to  thy  neighbour  ;  but  what  of  that,  if  thou 
hast  reproached  thy  maker  ? 

Pharisee,  I  will  assure  thee,  thou  art  beside  the  saddle  ; 
thy  state  is  not  good,  thy  righteousness  is  so  far  off  from 
doing  any  good,  that  it  maketh  thee  to  be  a  greater  sinner, 
because  it  signineth  more  immediately  against  the  mercy, 
the  love,  the  grace,  and  goodness  of  God,  than  the  sins  of 
other  sinners,  as  to  degree,  do. 

And  as  they  are  more  odious  and  abominable  in  the  sight 
of  God  (as  they  needs  must,  if  what  is  said  be  true,  as  it  is), 
so  they  are  more  dangerous  to  the  life  and  soul  of  man  ;  for 
that  they  always  appear  unto  him  in  whom  they  dwell, 
and  to  him  that  trusteth  in  them,  not  to  be  sins  and  trans- 
gressions, but  virtues  and  excellent  things  ;  not  things  that 
set  a  man  further  off,  but  the  things  that  bring  a  man 
nearer  God,  than  those  that  want  them  are  or  can  be. 

This  therefore  is  the  dangerous  estate  of  those  that  t»o 
about  to  establish  tkeir  own  righteousness,  that  neither 
have,  nor  can,  while  they  are  so  doing,  submit  themselves 
to  the  righteousness  of  God  ;  Rom.  x.  3.  It  is  far  more 
easy  to  persuade  a  poor  wretch,  whose  life  is  debauched, 
pnd  sins  are  written  in  his  forehead,  to  submit  to  the  right- 
eousness of  God  (that  is,  to  the  righteousness  that  is  of 
God's  providing  and  giving),  than  it  is  to  persuade  a  self- 
righteous  man  to  do  it ;  for  the  profane  is  sooner  convinced 


THE  PIIARISEE  AND  TUE  PUBLICAN.  153 

of  the  necessity  of  righteousness  to  save  him,  as  that  he  has 
lone  of  his  own,  and  accepteth  of,  and  submitteth  himself 
to  the  help  and  salvation  that  is  in  the  righteousness  and 
obedience  of  another. 

And  upon  this  account  it  is  that  Christ  saith  the  publi- 
cans and  harlots  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  before 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  ;  Matt.  xxi.  31.  Poor  Pharisee, 
what  a  loss  art  thou  at  ]  thou  art  not  only  a  sinner,  but  a 
sinner  of  the  highest  form.  Not  a  sinner  by  such  sins  (by 
such  sins  chiefly)  as  the  second  table  doth  make  manifest  ; 
but  a  sinner  chiefly  in  that  way  as  no  self-righteous  man 
did  ever  dream  of.  For  when  the  righteous  man  or  Phari- 
see shall  hear  that  he  is  a  sinner,  he  replieth,  "  I  am  not  as 
other  men  are." 

And  because  the  common  and  more  ordinary  description 
of  sin  is  the  transgression  against  the  second  table,  he  pre- 
sently replieth  again,  "  I  am  not  as  this  Publican  is  ;"  and 
so  shroudeth  himself  under  his  own  lame  endeavours  and 
ragged  partial  patches  of  moral  or  civil  righteousness. 
Wherefore,  when  he  heareth  that  his  righteousness  is  con- 
demned, slighted,  and  accounted  nothing  worth,  then  he 
fretteth  and  fumeth,  and  would  kill  the  man  that  so  slighteth 
and  disdaineth  his  goodly  righteousness ;  but  Christ,  and 
the  true  gospel-teacher  still  go  on,  and  condemn  all  his 
righteousness  as  menstruous  rags,  as  an  abomination  to  God, 
and  nothing  but  loss  and  dung. 

Now  menstruous  rags,  things  that  are  an  abomination 
and  dung,  are  not  fit  matter  to  make  a  garment  of  to  wear 
when  I  come  to  God  for  life,  much  less  to  be  made  my 
friend,  my  advocate,  my  mediator  and  spokesman,  when  I 
stand  betwixt  heaven  and  hell ;  Isa.  lxiv.  6  ;  Luke  xvi.  15  ; 
PJiil.  iii.  6-8,  to  plead  for  me  that  I  might  be  saved. 

Perhaps  some  will  blame  me,  and  count  me  also  worthy 
thereof,  because  I  do  not  distinguish  betwixt  the  matter 
and  the  manner  of  the  Pharisee's  righteousness.  And  let 
them  condemn  ine  still  for  saving  the  holy  law,  which  is 
neither  the  matter  nor  maimer  of  the  Pharisee's  righteous- 
ness, but  rather  the  rules  (if  he  will  live  thereby)  up  to 


154  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

which  he  should  completely  come  in  every  thing  that  he 
doth.  And  I  say  again,  that  the  whole  of  the  Pharisee's 
righteousness  is  sinful,  though  not  with  and  to  men,  yet 
with  and  before  the  God  of  heaven.  Sinful,  I  say  it  is,  and 
ahominable,  both  in  itself,  and  also  in  its  effects. 

1 .  In  itself ;  for  that  it  is  imperfect,  scanty,  and  short  of 
the  rule  by  which  righteousness  is  enjoined,  and  even  with 
which  every  act  should  be  ;  for  shortness  here,  even  every 
shortness  in  these  duties,  is  sin  and  sinful  weakness  ;  where- 
fore the  curse  taketh  hold  of  the  man  for  coming  short ; 
but  that  it  could  not  justly  do,  if  his  coining  short  was  not 
his  sin  :  Cursed  is  every  one  that  doth  not,  and  that  conti- 
nueth  not  to  do  all  things  written  in  the  law  ;  Deut.  xxvii. 
26  ;  Gal.  iii.  10. 

2.  It  is  sinful  ;  because  it  is  wrought  by  sinful  flesh ;  for 
all  legal  righteousness  is  a  work  of  the  flesh  ;  Rom.  iv.  1, 
&c;  Phil,  iii.  3-8. 

A  work,  I  say,  of  the  flesh  ;  even  of  that  flesh,  who,  or 
which  also  committeth  the  greatest  enormities  ;  for  the  flesh 
is  but  one,  though  its  workings  are  divers  :  sometimes  in  a 
way  most  notoriously  sensual  and  devilish,  causing  the  soul 
to  wallow  in  the  mire. 

But  these  are  not  all  the  works  of  the  flesh  ;  the  flesh 
sometimes  will  attempt  to  be  righteous,  and  set  upon  doing 
actions  that  in  their  perfection  would  be  very  glorious  and 
beautiful  to  behold.  But  because  the  law  is  only  command- 
ing words,  and  yieldeth  no  help  to  the  man  that  attempts 
to  perform  it ;  and  because  the  flesh  is  weak,  and  cannot 
do  of  itself  that,  therefore  this  most  glorious  work  of  the 
flesh  faileth. 

But,  I  say,  as  it  is  a  work  of  the  flesh  it  cannot  be  good, 
forasmuch  as  the  hand  that  worketh  it  is  denied  with  sin  ; 
for  in  a  good  man,  one  spiritually  good,  that  is  "  in  his  flesh, 
there  dwells  no  good  thing,"  but  consequently  that  which 
is  bad  ;  how  then  can  the  flesh  of  a  carnal,  graceless  man 
(and  such  a  one  is  every  Pharisee  and  self-righteous  man 
in  the  world),  produce,  though  it  joineth  itself  to  the  law, 
to  the  righteous  law  of  God,  that  which  is  good  in  his  sight. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND   THE  PUBLICAN.  155 

If  any  shall  think  that  I  pinch  too  hard,  because  I  call 
man's  righteousness  which  is  of  the  law,  of  the  righteous 
law  of  God,  flesh,  let  them  consider  that  which  follows : 
to  wit,  That  though  man  by  sin  is  said  "  to  be  dead  in  sin 
and  trespasses,"  yet  not  so  dead  but  that  he  can  act  still 
in  his  own  sphere  ;  that  is,  to  do,  and  choose  to  do,  either 
that  which  by  all  men  is  counted  base,  or  that  which  by 
some  is  counted  good,  though  he  is  not,  nor  can  all  the 
world  make  him,  capable  of  doing  any  thing  that  may 
please  his  God. 

Man,  by  nature,  as  dead  as  he  is,  can,  and  that  with  the 
will  of  his  flesh,  will  his  own  salvation.  Man,  by  nature, 
can,  and  that  by  the  power  of  the  flesh,  pursue  and  follow 
after  his  own  salvation ;  but  then  he  wills  it,  and  pursues 
or  follows  after  it,  not  in  God's  way,  but  his  own  ;  not  by 
faith  in  Christ,  but  by  the  law  of  Moses.  See  Rom.  ix.  16, 
31 ;  x.  3,  7. 

Wherefore  it  is  no  error  to  say,  that  a  man  naturally  has 
will,  and  a  power  to  pursue  his  will,  and  that  as  to  his  own 
salvation.  But  it  is  a  damnable  error  to  say,  that  he  hath 
will  and  power  to  pursue  it,  and  that  in  God's  way :  for 
then  we  must  hold  that  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel  are  na- 
tural ;  for  that  natural  men,  or  men  by  nature,  may  appre- 
hend and  know  them,  yea,  and  know  them  to  be  the  only 
means  by  which  they  must  obtain  eternal  life ;  for  the  un- 
derstanding must  act  before  the  will ;  yea,  a  man  must  ap- 
prove of  the  way  to  life  by  Jesus  Christ,  before  his  mind 
will  budge,  or  stir,  or  move,  that  way  :  "  But  the  natural 
man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  (of  the 
gospel)  ;  for  they  are  foolishness  to  him  ;  neither  can  he 
know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned." 

He  receiveth  not  these  things;  that  is,  his  mind  and 
will  lie  cross  unto  them,  for  he  counts  them  foolishness  ; 
nor  can  all  the  natural  wisdom  in  the  world  cause  that 
his  will  should  fall  in  with  them,  because  it  cannot  discern 
them. 

Nature  discerneth  the  law,  and  the  righteousness  there- 
of; yea,  it  discerneth  it,  and  appro veth  thereof;  that  is,  that 


156  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

the  righteousness  of  it  is  the  best  and  only  way  to  life,  and 
therefore  the  natural  will  and  power  of  the  flesh,  as  here 
you  see  in  the  Pharisee,  do  steer  their  course  by  that  to 
eternal  life ;  1  Cor.  ii.  14. 

The  righteousness  of  the  law,  therefore,  is  a  work  of  the 
flesh,  a  work  of  sinful  flesh,  and  therefore  must  needs  be 
as  filth,  and  dung,  and  abominable  as  to  that  for  which  this 
man  hath  produced  it  and  presented  it  in  the  temple  before 
God. 

Nor  is  the  Pharisee  alone  entangled  in  this  mischief; 
many  souls  are  by  these  works  of  the  flesh  flattered,  as 
also  the  Pharisee  was,  into  an  opinion,  that  their  state  is 
good,  when  there  is  nothing  in  it.  The  most  that  their 
conversion  amounteth  to  is,  the  Publican  is  become  a 
Pharisee  ;  the  open  sinner  is  become  a  self-righteous  man. 
Of  the  black  side  of  the  flesh  he  hath  had  enough,  now 
therefore  with  the  white  side  of  the  flesh  he  will  recreate 
himself.  And  now,  most  wicked  must  he  needs  be  that 
questioneth  the  goodness  of  the  state  of  such  a  man.  He, 
of  a  drunkard,  a  swearer,  an  unclean  person,  a  Sabbath- 
breaker,  a  liar,  and  the  like,  is  become  reformed,  a  lover  of 
righteousness,  a  strict  observer,  doer,  and  trader  in  the 
formalities  of  the  law,  and  a  herder  with  men  of  his  com- 
plexion. And  now  he  is  become  a  great  exclaimer  against 
sin  and  sinners,  denying  to  be  acquaint  with  those  that 
once  were  his  companions,  saying,  "  I  am  not  even  as  this 
Publican." 

To  turn  therefore  from  sin  to  man's  righteousness,  yea, 
to  rejoice  in  confidence,  that  thy  state  is  better  than  is 
that  of  the  Publican  (I  mean,  better  in  the  eyes  of  divine 
justice,  and  in  the  judgment  of  the  law)  ;  and  yet  to  be 
found  by  the  law,  not  in  the  spirit,  but  in  the  flesh  ;  nut 
in  Christ,  but  under  the  law  ;  not  in  a  state  of  salvation, 
but  of  damnation,  is  common  among  men  :  for  they, 
and  they  only,  are  the  right  men,  "  who  worship  God 
in  the  spirit,  and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no 
confidence  in  the  flesh."  Where,  by  "  flesh,"  must  not  be 
meant  the  horrible  transgressions  against  the  law  (though 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  157 

they  are  also  called  "  the  works  of  the  flesh,"  Gal.  iv.  29)  ; 
for  they  minister  no  occasion  unto  men  to  have  confidence 
in  them  towards  God  :  but  that  is  that  which  is  insinuated 
by  Paul,  where  he  saith,  he  had  no  "confidence  in  the 
flesh,"  though  he  might  have  had  it  ;  as  he  said,  "  though 
I  might  also  have  confidence  in  the  flesh."  "  If  any  other 
man,"  saith  he,  "  thinketh  that  he  hath  whereof  he  might 
trust  in  the  flesh,  I  more,"  Phil.  iii.  3,  4  ;  and  then  he  re- 
peats a  twofold  privilege  that  he  had  by  the  flesh. 

1.  That  he  was  one  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  &c. 

2.  That  he  had  fallen  in  with  the  strictest  men  of  that 
religion,  which  was  such  after  the  flesh,  to  wit,  to  be  a 
Pharisee,  and  was  the  son  of  a  Pharisee,  had  much  fleshly 
zeal  for  God,  and  "  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  of 
the  law,  blameless,"  Phil.  iii.  3,  5,  6. 

But  I  say  still,  there  is  nothing  but  flesh  ;  fleshly  privi- 
leges and  fleshly  righteousness,  and  so,  consequently,  a  fleshly 
confidence,  and  trust  for  heaven.  This  is  manifest ;  when 
the  man  had  his  eyes  enlightened,  he  counted  all  loss  and 
dung  that  he  might  be  found  in  Christ,  not  having  his  own 
righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through 
the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by 
faith. 

And  this  leads  me  to  another  thing,  and  that  is,  to  tell 
thee,  0  thou  blind  Pharisee,  that  thou  canst  not  be  in  a 
safe  condition,  because  thou  hast  thy  confidence  in  the 
flesh,  that  is,  in  the  righteousness  of  the  flesh.  "  For  all 
flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  it  as  the  flower  of  the 
field ;"  and  the  flesh,  and  the  glory  of  that  being  as  weak 
as  the  grass,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into 
the  oven,  is  but  a  weak  business  for  a  man  to  venture  his 
eternal  salvation  upon.  Wherefore,  as  I  also  hinted  before, 
the  godly-wise  have  been  afraid  to  be  found  in  their  right- 
eousness, I  mean  their  own  personal  righteousness,  though 
that  is  far  better  than  can  be  the  righteousness  of  any 
carnal  man  :  for  the  godly  man's  righteousness  is  wrought 
by  the  Spirit  and  faith  of  Christ,  but  the  ungodly  man's 


158  THE  PHAK1SJEE  AKD  THE  PUBLICAN. 

righteousness  is  of  the  flesh,  and  of  the  law.  Yet  I  say,  this 
godly  man  is  afraid  to  stand  by  his  righteousness  before  the 
tribunal  of  God,  as  is  manifest  in  these  following  particulars. 

1.  He  sees  sin  in  his  righteousness  ;  for  so  the  prophet 
intimates,  when  he  saith,  "  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as 
filthy  rags"  (Isa.  lxiv.);  but  there  is  nothing  can  make  one's 
righteousness  filthy  but  sin.  It  is  not  the  poor,  the  low, 
the  mean,  the  sickly,  the  beggarly  state  of  man,  nor  yet 
his  being  hated  of  devils,  persecuted  of  men,  broken  under 
necessities,  reproaches,  distresses,  or  any  kind  of  troubles 
of  this  nature  that  can  make  the  godly  man's  righteous- 
ness filthy  ;  nothing  but  sin  can  do  it,  and  that  can,  doth, 
hath,  and  will  do  it.  Nor  can  any  man,  be  he  who  he 
will,  and  though  he  watches,  prays,  strives,  denies  himself, 
and  puts  his  body  under  what  chastisement  or  hardships  he 
can  ;  yea,  though  he  also  get  his  spirit  and  soul  hoisted  up 
to  the  highest  peg  orpin  of  sanctity  and  holy  contemplation, 
and  so  his  lusts  to  the  greatest  degree  -of  mortification  ; 
but  sin  will  be  with  him  in  the  best  of  his  performances : 
with  him,  I  say,  to  pollute  and  defile  his  duties,  and  to 
make  his  righteousness  speckled  and  spotted,  filthy  and 
menstruous. 

I  will  give  you  two  or  three  instances  for  this. 

(1.)  Nehemiah  was  a  man  (in  his  day),  one  that  was 
zealous,  very  zealous,  for  God,  for  his  house,  for  his 
people,  and  for  his  ways  ;  and  so  continued,  and  that  from 
first  to  last,  as  they  may  see  that  please  to  read  the  rela- 
tion of  his  actions  ;  yet  when  he  comes  seriously  to  be  con- 
cerned with  God  about  his  duties,  he  relinquisheth  a  stand- 
ing by  them.  True,  he  mentioneth  them  to  God,  but  con- 
fesseth  that  there  are  imperfections  in  them,  and  prayeth 
that  God  will  not  wipe  them  away.  "  Wipe  not  out  my 
good  deeds,  0  my  God,  that  I  have  done  for  the  house  of 
my  God,  and  for  the  offices  thereof."  And  again,  "  Re- 
member me,  0  my  God,  concerning  this  also  (another  good 
deed),  and  spare  me  according  to  the  greatness  of  thy  mercy  ; 
and  remember  me,  0  my  God,  for  good ;"  Neh.  xiii. 

I  do  not  think  that  by  these  prayers  he  pleadeth  for  an 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  159 

acceptance  of  his  person,  as  touching- justification  from  the 
curse  of  the  law  (as  the  poor  hlind  Pharisee  doth),  but  that 
God  would  accept  of  his  service,  as  he  was  a  son,  and  not 
deny  to  give  him  a  reward  of  grace  for  what  he  had  done, 
since  he  was  pleased  to  declare  in  his  testament,  that  he 
would  reward  the  labour  of  love  of  his  saints  with  an  ex- 
ceeding weight  of  glory  ;  and  therefore  prayeth,  that  God 
would  not  wipe  away  his  good  deeds,  but  remember  him 
for  good,  according  to  the  greatness  of  his  mercy. 

(2.)  A  second  instance  is  that  of  David,  where  he  saith, 
"Enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant,  0  Lord;  for 
in  thy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justified ;"  Psalm  clxiii. 
2.  David,  as  I  have  hinted  before,  is  said  to  be  a  man 
"  after  God's  own  heart,"  Acts  xiii.  ;  and  as  here  by  the 
Spirit  he  acknowledges  him  for  his  servant ;  yet  behold 
how  he  shrinketh,  how  he  draweth  back,  how  he  prayeth, 
and  petitioneth,  that  God  Avould  vouchsafe  so  much  as  not 
to  enter  into  judgment  with  him.  Lord,  saith  he,  if  thou 
enterest  into  judgment  with  me,  I  die,  because  I  shall  be 
condemned ;  for  in  thy  sight  I  cannot  be  justified  ;  to  wit, 
by  my  own  good  deeds.  Lord,  at  the  beginning  of  thy 
dealing-  with  me,  by  the  law  and  my  works,  I  die  :  there- 
fore do  not  so  much  as  enter  into  judgment  with  me,  0  Lord. 
Nor  is  this  my  case  only,  but  it  is  the  condition  of  all  the 
world :  "  For  in  thy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justified." 

(3.)  A  third  instance  is  that  general  conclusion  of  the 
apostle,  "  But  that  no  man  is  justified  by  the  law  in  the  sight 
of  God  is  evident ;  for  the  just  shall  live  by  faith."  By  this 
saying  of  St  Paul,  as  he  taketh  up  the  sentence  of  the  pro- 
phet Habakkuk,  chap.  ii.  4,  so  he  taketh  up  this  sentence, 
yea,  and  the  personal  justice  of  David  also.  No  man,  saith 
he,  is  justified  by  the  law  in  the  sight  of  God  :  no,  no  just 
man,  no  holy  man,  not  the  strictest  and  most  righteous 
man.  But  why  not  ?  Why,  because  "  the  just  shall  live 
by  faith." 

The  just  man,  therefore,  must  die,  if  he  has  not  faith  in 
another  righteousness  than  that  which  is  of  the  law,  called 
his  own :  I  say,  he  must  die,  if  he  has  none  other  right- 


160  THE  PHARISEE  AND  the  publican. 

eousness  than  that  which  is  his  own  by  the  law.  Thus 
also  Paul  confesses  of  himself  :  "  I  (saith  he)  know  nothing 
by  myself,"  either  before  conversion  or  after  ;  that  is,  I 
kneiv  not  that  I  did  any  thing  before  conversion,  either 
against  the  law,  or  against  my  conscience  ;  for  I  was  then, 
touching  the  righteousness  which  is  of  the  law,  blameless. 
Also,  since  my  conversion,  I  know  nothing  by  myself ;  for 
"  I  have  walked  in  all  good  conscience  before  God  unto 
this  day." 

A  great  saying,  I  promise  you.  Well,  but  yet  "  I  am 
not  hereby  justified ;"  Phil.  iii.  7 ;  Acts  xxiii.  1 ;  1  Cor.  iv. 
4.  Nor  will  I  dare  to  venture  the  eternal  salvation  of  my 
soul  upon  mine  own  justice ;  "  for  he  that  judgeth  me  is  the 
Lord ;"  that  is,  though  I,  through  my  dim-sightedness,  can- 
not see  the  imperfections  of  my  righteousness,  yet  the  Lord, 
who  is  my  judge,  and  before  whose  tribunal  I  must  shortly 
stand,  can  and  will;  and  if  in  his  sight  there  shall  be 
found  no  more  but  one  spot  in  my  righteousness,  I  must,  if 
I  plead  my  righteousness,  fall  for  that. 

2.  That  the  best  of  men  are  afraid  to  stand  before  God's 
tribunal,  there  to  be  judged  by  the  law  as  to  life  and  death, 
according  to  the  sufficiency  or  non-sufficiency  of  their 
righteousness,  is  evident;  because  by  casting  away  their 
own  (in  this  matter),  they  make  all  the  means  they  can  for 
this ;  that  is,  that  his  mercy,  by  an  act  of  grace,  be  made 
over  to  them,  and  that  they  in  it  may  stand  before  God  to 
he  judged. 

Hence  David  cries  out  so  often,  "  Lead  me  in  thy  right- 
eousness." "  Deliver  me  in  thy  righteousness."  "  Judge 
me  according  to  thy  righteousness."  "  Quicken  me  in  thy 
righteousness."  "  0  Lord  (says  he),  give  ear  to  my  sup- 
plications :  in  thy  faithfulness  answer  me,  and  in  thy 
righteousness."  "  And  enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy 
servant,  0  Lord  :  for  in  thy  sight  shall  no  flesh  living  be 
justified."  And  David,  what  if  God  doth  thus  ?  Why, 
then,  saith  he,  "  My  tongue  shall  speak  of  his  righteous- 
ness." "  My  tongue  shall  sing  of  thy  righteousness."  "  My 
mouth  shall  shew  forth  thy  righteousness."     "  Yen,  I  will 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  161 

make  mention  of  thy  righteousness,  even  of  thine  only  ;" 
Psalm  lviii. ;  xxxi.  1 ;  xxxv.  24  ;  cxix.  40  ;  xxxv.  28;  li. 
14  ;  Ixxi.  15,  16. 

Daniel  also,  when  he  comes  to  plead  for  himself  and  his 
people,  he  first  casts  away  his  and  their  righteousness,  say- 
ing, "  For  we  do  not  present  our  supplications  unto  thee 
for  our  righteousness:"  And  he  pleads  God's  righteous- 
ness, and  that  he  might  have  a  share  and  interest  in  that 
saying,  "  0  Lord,  righteousness  helongeth  to  thee ;"  to  wit, 
that  righteousness,  for  the  sake  of  which,  mercy  and  for- 
giveness, and  so  heaven  and  happiness,  is  extended  to  us. 

Righteousness  helongeth  to  thee,  and  is  thine,  as  nearly 
as  sin,  shame,  and  confusion,  are  ours,  and  helongeth  to  us. 
Read  the  16th  and  17th  verses  of  the  9th  of  Daniel.  "  0 
Lord  (saith  he),  according  to  all  thy  righteousness,  I  be- 
seech thee,  let  thine  anger,  and  thy  fury,  be  turned  away 
from  thy  city  Jerusalem,  thy  holy  mountain  ;  because  for 
our  sins,  and  for  the  iniquities  of  our  fathers,  Jerusalem, 
and  thy  people,  are  become  a  reproach  to  all  that  are  about 
us.  Now,  therefore,  0  our  God,  hear  the  prayer  of  thy 
servant,  and  his  supplications,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine 
upon  thy  sanctuary  that  is  desolate,  for  the  Lord's  sake :" 
For  the  sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  for  on  him  Daniel 
now  had  his  eye,  and  through  him  to  the  Father  he  made 
his  supplication ;  yea,  and  the  answer  was  according  to  his 
prayer,  to  wit,  that  God  would  have  mercy  on  Jerusalem  ; 
and  that  he  would  in  his  time  send  the  Lord,  the  Messias, 
to  bring  them  in  everlasting  righteousness  for  them. 

Paul  also,  as  I  have  hinted  before,  disclaims  his  own 
righteousness,  and  layeth  fast  hold  on  the  righteousness  of 
God ;  seeking  to  be  found  in  that,  not  having  his  own 
righteousness,  for  he  knew  that  when  the  rain  descends,  the 
winds  blow,  and  the  floods  come  down  on  all  men,  they 
that  have  but  their  own  righteousness,  must  fall  ;  Phil.  iii. 

Now,  the  earnest  desire  of  the.  righteous  to  be  found  in 
God's  righteousness,  ariseth  from  strong  conviction  of  the 
imperfections  of  their  own,  and  the  knowledge  that  was 
given  them  of  the  terror  that  will  attend  men  at  the  day  of 


1G2  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLIC 4.N. 

the  fiery  trial ;  to  wit,  the  day  of  judgment.  For  although 
men  can  now  natter  themselves  into  a  fool's  paradise,  and 
persuade  themselves  that  all  shall  be  well  with  them  then, 
for  the  sake  of  their  own  silly  and  vain-glorious  perfor- 
mances, yet  when  the  day  comes  that  shall  burn  like  an 
oven,  and  when  all  that  have  done  wickedly  shall  be  as 
stubble  (and  so  will  all  appear  to  be  that  are  not  found  in 
Christ),  then  will  their  righteousness  vanish  like  smoke,  or 
be  like  fuel  for  that  burning  flame.  And  hence  the  right- 
eousness that  the  godly  seek  to  be  found  in,  is  called,  The 
name  of  the  Lord,  a  strong  tower,  a  rock,  a  shield,  a  for- 
tress, a  buckler,  a  rock  of  defence,  unto  which  they  resort, 
and  into  which  they  run  and  are  safe. 

The  godly  therefore  do  not,  as  this  Pharisee,  bring  their 
own  righteousness  into  the  temple,  and  there  buoy  up  them- 
selves and  spirits  by  that  into  a  conceit,  that  for  the  sake 
of  that  God  will  be  merciful  and  good  unto  them  ;  but 
throwing  away  their  own,  they  make  to  God  for  his,  be- 
cause they  certainly  know,  even  by  the  word  of  God,  that 
in  the  judgment  none  can  stand  the  trial  but  those  that  are 
found  in  the  righteousness  of  God. 

3.  That  the  best  of  men  are  afraid  to  stand  before  God's 
tribunal  by  the  law,  there  to  be  judged  to  life  and  death,  ac- 
cording to  the  sufficiency  or  non-sufficiency  of  their  right- 
eousness, is  evident ;  for  they  know,  that  it  is  a  vain  thing 
to  seek,  by  acts  of  righteousness,  to  make  themselves  right- 
eous men,  as  is  the  way  of  all  them  that  seek  to  be  justified 
by  the  deeds  of  the  law. 

And  herein  lieth  the  great  difference  between  the  Phari- 
see and  the  true  Christian  man.  The  Pharisee  thinks,  by 
acts  of  righteousness,  he  shall  make  himself  a  righteous 
man  :  therefore  he  cometh  into  the  presence  of  God  well 
furnished,  as  he  thinks,  with  his  negative  and  positive 
righteousness. 

Grace  suffereth  not  a  man  to  boast  before  God,  whatever 
he  saith  before  men.  His  soul  that  is  lifted  up,  is  not  up- 
right in  him  ;  and  better  is  the  poor  in  spirit  than  the 
proud  in  spirit.     The  Pharisee  was  a  very  proud  man ;  a 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE   PUBLICAN'.  163 

proud,  ignorant  man  ;  proud  of  his  own  righteousness,  and 
ignorant  of  God's  :  for  had  he  not,  lie  could  not,  as  he  did, 
have  so  condemned  the  Publican,  and  justified  himself. 

And  I  say  again,  that  all  this  pride  and  vain-glorious 
show  of  the  Pharisee  did  arise  from  his  not  being  acquainted 
with  this,  that  a  man  must  be  good  before  he  can  do  good  ; 
he  must  be  righteous,  before  he  can  do  righteousness.  This 
is  evident  from  Paul,  who  insinuateth  this  as  the  reason 
why  none  do  good,  even  because  "  There  is  none  that  is 
righteous,  no,  not  one."  "  There  is  none  righteous,"  saith 
he,  and  then  follows,  "  There  is  none  that  doeth  good  ;" 
Rom.  iii.  10,  11,  12.  For  it  is  not  possible  for  a  man  that 
is  not  first  made  righteous  by  the  God  of  heaven,  to  do  any 
thing  that  in  a  gospel-sense  may  be  called  righteousness. 
To  make  himself  a  righteous  man,  by  his  so  meddling  with 
them,  he  may  design  ;  but  work  righteousness,  and  so  by 
such  works  of  righteousness  make  himself  a  righteous  man, 
he  cannot. 

The  righteousness  of  a  carnal  man  is  indeed  by  God 
called  righteousness  ;  but  it  must  be  understood  as  spoken 
in  the  dialect  of  the  world.  The  world  indeed  calls  it  right- 
eousness, and  it  will  do  no  harm,  if  it  bear  that  term  with 
reference  to  worldly  matters.  Hence  worldly  civilians  are 
called  good  and  righteous  men,  and  so,  such  as  Christ,  un- 
der that  notion,  neither  died  for,  nor  giveth  his  grace  unto  ; 
Pvom.  v.  7,  8.  But  we  are  not  now  discoursing  about  any 
other  righteousness,  than  that  which  is  so  accounted  either 
in  a  law  or  in  a  gospel-sense  ;  and  therefore  let  us  a  little 
more  touch  upon  that. 

A  man  then  must  be  righteous  in  a  law-sense,  before  he 
can  do  acts  of  righteousness,  I  mean,  that  are  such  in  a 
gospel-sense.  Hence,  first,  you  have  true  gospel-righteous- 
ness made  the  fruit  of  a  second  birth.  "  If  ye  know  that 
Christ  is  righteous,  know  ye  that  every  one  that  doeth 
righteousness  is  born  of  him  ;"  1  John  ii.  29.  Not  born  of 
him  by  virtue  of  his  own  righteous  actions,  but  bom  of  him 
by  virtue  of  Christ's  mighty  working  with  his  work  upon 


164  THE  PHARISEE  AXD  THE  TUBLICAN. 

the  soul,  who  afterwards,  from  a  principle  of  life,  acteth 
and  worketh  righteousness. 

And  he  saith  again,  "  Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive 
you  :  he  that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  even  as  he  is 
righteous."  Upon  this  scripture  I  will  a  little  comment, 
for  the  proof  of  what  is  urged  before :  namely,  that  a  man 
must  be  righteous  in  a  law-sense,  before  he  can  do  such 
things  that  may  be  called  acts  of  righteousness  in  a  gospel- 
sense.  And  for  this,  this  scripture,  1  John  iii.  7,  ministereth 
to  us  two  things  to  be  considered  by  us. 

The  first  is,  That  he  that  doth  righteousness  is  righteous. 

The  second  is,  That  he  that  doth  righteousness  is  right- 
eous, as  Christ  is  righteous. 

First,  He  that  doth  righteousness  ;  that  is,  righteousness 
which  the  gospel  calleth  so,  is  righteous ;  that  is,  precedent 
to,  or  before  he  doth  that  righteousness.  For  he  doth  not 
say,  he  shall  make  his  person  righteous  by  acts  of  right- 
eousness that  he  shall  do  ;  for  then  an  evil  tree  may  bear 
good  fruit,  yea,  and  may  make  itself  good  by  doing  so  ;  but 
he  saith,  He  that  doth  righteousness  is  righteous;  as  he 
saith,  He  that  doth  righteousness  is  born  of  him. 

So  then,  a  man  must  be  righteous  before  he  can  do 
righteousness,  before  he  can  do  righteousness  in  a  gospel- 
sense. 

Our  second  thing  then  is  to  inquire,  with  what  righteous- 
ness a  man  must  be  righteous,  before  he  can  do  that  which 
in  a  gospel-sense  is  called  righteousness. 

And,  first,  I  answer,  He  must  be  righteous  in  a  law-sense  . 
that  is,  he  must  be  righteous  in  the  judgment  of  the  law. 
This  is  evident :  because  he  saith,  "  He  that  doeth  righteous 
ness  is  righteous,  as  he  is  righteous."  That  is,  in  a  law- 
sense  :  for  Christ  in  no  sense  is  righteous  in  the  judgment 
of  charity  only  ;  but  in  his  meanest  acts,  if  it  be  lawful  to 
make  such  comparison,  he  was  righteous  in  a  law-sense,  or 
in  the  judgment  of  the  law.  Now  the  apostle  saith,  that 
"  He  that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  as  he  is  right- 
eous."    They  are  the  words  of  God,  and  therefore  I  cannot 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  105 

err  in  quoting  of  them,  though  I  may  not  so  fully  as  I  would 
make  the  glory  of  them  shine  in  speaking  to  them. 

But  what  righteousness  is  that,  with  which  a  man  must 
stand  righteous  in  the  judgment  of  the  law,  hefore  he  shall 
or  can  be  found  to  do  acts  of  righteousness,  that  by  the  gos- 
pel are  so  called  ? 

1 .  I  answer,  first,  It  is  none  of  his  own  which  is  of  the 
law,  you  may  be  sure :  for  he  hath  his  righteousness  before 
he  doth  any  that  can  be  called  his  own.  "  He  that  doeth 
righteousness  is  righteous"  already,  precedent  to,  or  before 
he  doth  that  righteousness  ;  yea,  he  "  is  righteous,  even  as 
he  is  righteous." 

2.  It  cannot  be  his  own  which  is  of  the  gospel ;  that  is, 
that  which  floweth  from  a  principle  of  grace  in  the  soul :  for 
he  is  righteous  before  he  doth  this  righteousness.  "  He  that 
doeth  righteousness  is  righteous."  He  doth  not  say,  he  that 
hath  done  it,  but  he  that  doth  it ;  respecting  the  act  while 
it  is  in  doing,  he  is  righteous.  He  is  righteous  even  then 
when  he  is  a-doing  of  the  very  first  act  of  righteousness  ; 
but  an  act,  while  it  is  doing,  cannot,  until  it  is  done,  be 
called  an  act  of  righteousness ;  yet,  saith  the  text,  "  he  is 
righteous." 

But  again,  if  an  act,  while  it  is  doing,  cannot  be 
called  an  act  of  righteousness,  to  be  sure,  it  cannot  have 
such  influences  as  to  make  the  actor  righteous — to  make 
him  righteous,  as  the  Son  of  God  is  righteous ;  and  yet  the 
righteousness  with  which  this  doer  is  made  righteous,  and 
that  before  he  doth  righteousness,  is  such  ;  for  so  saith  the 
text,  that  makes  him  righteous,  as  he  is  righteous. 

Besides,  it  cannot  be  his  own,  which  is  gospel-righteous- 
ness, flowing  from  a  principle  of  grace  in  the  soul ;  for 
that  in  its  greatest  perfection  in  us,  while  we  live  in  this 
world,  is  accompanied  with  some  imperfections  ;  to  wit, 
our  faith,  love,  and  whole  course  of  holiness  is  wanting,  or 
Tiath  something  lacking  in  it.  They  neither  are  apart,  nor 
when  put  all  together,  perfect,  as  to  the  degree,  the  utter- 
most degree  of  perfection. 

But  the  righteousness  under  consideration,  with  which 


166  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

the  man,  in  that  of  John,  is  made  righteous,  is  a  perfect 
righteousness  ;  not  only  with  respect  to  the  nature  of  it, 
as  a  penny  is  as  perfect  silver  as  a  shilling  ;  nor  yet  with 
respect  to  a  comparative  degree,  for  so  a  shilling  arriveth 
more  toward  the  perfection  of  the  number  twenty,  than 
doth  a  twopenny  or  a  threepenny  piece  ;  but  it  is  a  right- 
eousness so  perfect,  that  nothing  can  be  added  to,  nor  can 
any  thing  be  taken  from  it ;  for  so  implieth  the  words  of 
the  text,  he  is  righteous  as  Christ  is  righteous  ;  yea,  thus 
righteous  before,  and  in  order  to  his  doing  of  righteousness. 

And  in  this  he  is  like  unto  the  Son  of  God,  who  was  also 
righteous  before  he  did  acts  of  righteousness  referring  to  a 
law  of  commandment ;  wherefore  it  is  said,  that  as  he  is,  so 
are  we  in  this  world.  As  he  is  or  was  righteous,  before  he 
did  acts  of  righteousness  among  men  by  a  law ;  so  are  his 
righteous,  before  they  act  righteousness  among  men  by 
a  law.  "  He  that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  as  he 
is  righteous." 

Christ  was  righteous  before  he  did  righteousness,  with  a 
twofold  righteousness.  He  had  a  righteousness  as  he  was 
God  ;  his  Godhead  was  perfectly  righteous  :  yea,  it  was 
righteousness  itself.  His  human  nature  was  perfectly 
righteous,  it  was  naturally  spotless  and  undefiled.  Thus 
his  person  was  righteous,  and  so  qualified  to  do  that  right- 
eousness, that  because  he  was  born  of  woman,  and  made 
under  the  law,  he  was  bound  by  the  law  to  perform. 

Now,  as  he  is,  so  are  we  ;  not  by  way  of  natural  right- 
eousness, but  by  way  of  resemblance  thereunto.  Had 
Christ,  in  order  to  his  working  of  righteousness,  a  two- 
fold righteousness  inherent  in  himself? — the  Christum,  in 
order  to  his  working  of  righteousness,  had  belonging  to 
him  a  twofold  righteousness.  Did  Christ's  twofold  right- 
eousness qualify  him  for  that  work  of  righteousness  that 
was  of  God  designed  for  him  to  do  1 — why,  the  Christian's 
twofold  righteousness  doth  qualify  him  for  that  work  of 
righteousness  that  God  hath  ordained  that  he  should  do 
and  walk  in  this  world. 

But  you   may  ask,    What   is   that  righteousness   with 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  167 

which  a  Christian  is  made  righteous  before  he  doth  right- 
eousness ? 

I  answer,  It  is  a  twofold  righteousness. 

1.  It  is  a  righteousness  put  upon  him. 

2.  It  is  a  righteousness  put  into  him. 

For  the  first,  It  is  a  righteousness  put  upon  him,  with 
which  also  he  is  clothed  as  with  a  coat  or  mantle,  Rom. 
iii.  22,  and  this  is  called  "  the  robe  of  righteousness  ;"  ana 
this  is  called  "  the  garment  of  salvation  ;"  Isa.  lxi.  10. 

This  righteousness  is  none  other  but  the  obedience  of 
Christ ;  the  which  he  performed  in  the  days  of  his  flesh, 
and  can  properly  be  called  no  man's  righteousness,  but  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  ;  because  no  man  had  a  hand 
therein,  but  he  completed  it  himself.  And  hence  it  is  said, 
that  "by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be  made  righteous ;" 
Rom.  v.  19.  By  the  obedience  of  one,  of  one  man  Jesus 
Christ  (as  you  have  it  in  verse  15)  ;  for  he  came  down  into 
the  world,  to  this  very  end  ;  that  is,  to  make  a  generation 
righteous,  not  by  making  of  them  laws,  and  prescribing 
unto  them  rules  (for  this  was  the  work  of  Moses,  who  said, 
"  And  it  shall  be  our  righteousness,  if  we  observe  to  do  all 
these  commandments  before  the  Lord  our  God,  as  he  hath 
commanded  us;"  Deut.  vi.  25;  xxiv.  13)  ;  nor  yet  by 
taking  away  by  his  grace  the  imperfections  of  their  right- 
eousness, and  so  making  of  that  perfect  by  additions  of  his 
own  ;  but  he  makes  them  righteous  by  his  obedience,  not 
in  them,  but  for  them,  while  he  personally  subjected  him- 
self to  his  Father's  law  on  our  behalf,  that  he  might  have 
a  righteousness  to  bestow  upon  us.  And  hence  we  are  said 
to  be  made  righteous,  while  we  work  not ;  and  to  be  jus- 
tified, while  ungodly  (Rom.  iv.  5),  which  can  be  done 
by  no  other  righteousness  than  that  which  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  by  performance,  the  righteousness  of  God  by 
donation,  and  our  righteousness  by  imputation.  For,  I 
say,  the  person  that  wrought  this  righteousness  for  us,  is 
Jesus  Christ ;  the  person  that  giveth  it  to  us,  is  the  Father ; 
who  hath  made  Christ  to  be  unto  us  righteousness,  and 
hath  given  him  to  us  for  this  very  end,  that  we  might  be 

o 


168  THE  PHARISEE  AX  I.  THE   PU3LICAN. 

made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him ;  1  Cor.  i.  4 ;  2  Cor. 
v.  21.  And  hence  it  is  often  said,  "  One  shall  say,  Surely 
in  the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength."  And 
again,  "  In  the  Lord  shall  all  the  seed  of  Israel  be  justified, 
and  shall  glory."  "  This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of 
the  Lord ;  and  their  righteousness  is  of  me,  saith  the  Lord ;" 
Isa.  xlv.  24,  25;  liv.  17. 

This  righteousness  is  that  which  justifieth,  and  which 
seeureth  the  soul  from  the  curse  of  the  law ;  by  hiding, 
through  its  perfection,  all  the  sins  and  imperfections  of 
the  soul.  Hence  it  follows,  "  Even  as  David  also  deserib- 
eth  the  blessedness  of  the  man  unto  whom  God  imputeth 
righteousness  without  works,  saying,  Blessed  are  they 
whose  iniquities  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  are  covered. 
Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will  not  impute  sin ;" 
Rom.  iv. 

And  this  it  doth,  even  while  the  person,  that  by  grace  is 
made  a  partaker,  is  without  good  works,  and  so  ungodly. 
This  is  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  Christ's  personal  per- 
formances, which  he  did  when  he  was  in  this  world  ;  that 
is  that  by  which  the  soul,  while  naked,  is  covered,  and  so 
hid  as  to  its  nakedness,  from  the  divine  sentence  of  the  law : 
"  I  spread  my  skirt  over  thee,  and  covered  thy  nakedness," 
Ezek.  xvi.  4-9. 

Now  this  obediential  righteousness  of  Christ  consisteth 
of  two  parts.  1.  In  a  doing  of  that  which  the  law  com- 
manded us  to  do.  2.  In  a  paying  that  price  for  the  trans- 
gression thereof,  which  justice  hath  said  shall  be  required 
at  the  hand  of  man ;  and  that  is  the  cursed  death.  "  In  the 
day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die  the 
death ;"  to  wit,  the  death  that  comes  by  the  curse  of  the 
law.  So  then,  Christ  having  brought  in  that  part  of  obe- 
dience for  us,  which  consisteth  in  a  doing  of  such  obediential 
acts  of  righteousness  which  the  law  commands,  he  adds 
thereto  the  spilling  of  his  blood,  to  be  the  price  of  our  re- 
demption from  that  cursed  death,  that  by  sin  we  had 
brought  upon  our  bodies  and  souls.  And  thus  are  the 
Christians  perfectly  righteous ;  they  have  the  whole  obe- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  169 

dience  of  Christ  made  over  to  them ;  to  wit,  that  obedience 
that  standeth  in  doing  the  law,  and  that  obedience  that 
standeth  in  paying  of  a  prifce  for  ourtransgressions.  So,  then, 
dotli  the  law  call  for  righteousness  1  Here  it  is.  Doth  the 
ljnv  call  for  satisfaction  for  our  sins  1  Here  it  is.  And 
what  can  the  law  say  any  more  to  the  sinner  but  that 
which  is  good,  when  he  findeth  in  the  personal  obedience 
of  Christ  for  him,  that  which  answereth  to  what  it  can 
command,  that  which  it  can  demand  of  us  1 

Herein,  then,  standeth  a  Christian's  safety,  not  in  a  bun- 
dle of  actions  of  his  own,  but  in  a  righteousness  which 
cometh  to  him  by  grace  and  gift ;  for  this  righteousness  is 
such  as  comes  by  gift,  by  the  gift  of  God.  Hence  it  is 
called  the  gift  of  righteousness,  the  gift  by  grace,  the  gift  of 
righteousness  by  grace,  which  is  the  righteousness  of  one, 
to  wit,  the  obedience  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rom.  v.  15-19. 

And  this  is  the  righteousness  by  which  he  that  doth 
righteousness  is  righteous  as  he  is  righteous  ;  because  it  is 
the  very  self-same  righteousness  that  the  Son  of  God  hath 
accomplished  by  himself.  Nor  has  he  any  other  or  more 
excellent  righteousness,  of  which  the  law  taketh  notice,  or 
that  it  requireth,  than  this  :  for  as  for  the  righteousness  of 
his  Godhead,  the  law  is  not  concerned  with  that ;  for  as  he 
is  such,  the  law  is  his  creature,  and  servant,  and  may  not 
meddle  with  him. 

The  righteousness  also  of  his  human  nature,  the  law  hath 
nothing  to  do  with  that ;  for  that  is  the  workmanship  of 
God,  and  is  as  good,  as  pure,  as  holy,  and  undefiled,  as  is 
the  law  itself.  All  then  that  the  law  hath  to  do  with,  is  to 
exact  complete  obedience  of  him  that  is  made  under  it,  and 
a  due  satisfaction  for  the  breach  thereof ;  the  which,  if  it 
hath,  then  Moses  is  content.  ' 

Now,  this  is  the  righteousness  with  which  the  Christian, 
as  to  justification,  is  made  righteous ;  to  wit,  a  righteous- 
ness that  is  neither  essential  to  his  Godhead,  nor  to  his 
manhood ;  but  such  as  standeth  in  that  glorious  person 
(who  was  such)  his  obedience  to  the  law.     Which  right- 


170  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

eousness  himself  had,  with  reference  to  himself,  no  need  of 
at  all,  for  his  Godhead,  yea,  his  manhood,  was  perfectly 
righteous  without  it.  This  righteousness  therefore  was 
there,  and  there  only  necessary,  where  Christ  was  considered 
as  God's  servant  (and  our  surety)  to  bring  to  God  Jacob 
again,  and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel.  For  though 
Christ  was  a  Son,  yet  he  became  a  servant  to  do,  not  for 
himself,  for  he  had  no  need,  but  for  us,  the  whole  law,  and 
so  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness  for  us. 

And  hence  it  is  said,  that  Christ  did  what  he  did  for  us. 
He  became  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  for  us  ;  he 
suffered  for  us,  he  died  for  us,  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us, 
and  he  gave  himself  for  us.  The  righteousness  then  that 
Christ  did  fulfil,  when  he  was  in  the  world,  was  not  for 
himself  simply  considered,  nor  for  himself  personally  con- 
sidered, for  he  had  no  need  thereof ;  but  it  was  for  the 
elect,  the  members  of  his  body. 

Christ  then  did  not  fulfil  the  law  for  himself,  for  he  had 
no  need  thereof.  Christ  again  did  fulfil  the  law  for  him- 
self, for  he  had  need  of  the  righteousness  thereof ;  he  had 
need  thereof  for  the  covering  of  his  body,  and  the  several 
members  thereof ;  for  they,  in  a  good  sense,  are  himself, 
members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones  ;  and  he 
owns  them  as  parts  of  himself  in  many  places  of  the  holy 
scriptures  ;  Eph.  v.  30  ;  Acts  ix.  4,  5  ;  Matt.  xxv.  45  ;  x. 
40  ;  Mark  ix.  37  ;  Luke  x.  16  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  12,  27.  This 
righteousness  then,  even  the  whole  of  what  Christ  did  in 
answer  to  the  law,  it  was  for  his  ;  and  God  hath  put  it  up- 
on them,  and  they  were  righteous  in  it,  even  righteous  as 
lie  is  righteous.  And  this  they  have  before  they  do  acts  of 
righteousness. 

Secondly,  There  is  righteousness  put  into  them,  before 
they  act  righteous  things.  A  righteousness,  I  say,  put  into 
them  ;  or  I  had  rather  that  you  should  call  it  a  principle  of 
righteousness  ;  for  it  is  a  principle  of  life  to  righteousness. 
Before  man's  conversion,  there  is  in  him  a  principle  of  death 
to  sin ;  but  when  he  is  converted  to  Christ,  there  is  put  in 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  171 

him  a  principle  of  righteousness,  that  he  may  bring  forth 
fruit  unto  God  ;  Rom.  vii.  4-6. 

Hence  they  are  said  to  be  quickened,  to  be  made  alive, 
to  be  risen  from  death  to  life,  to  have  the  Spirit  of  God 
dwelling  in  them  ;  not  only  to  make  their  souls  alive,  but 
to  quicken  their  mortal  bodies  to  that  which  is  good ;  Rom. 
viii.  11. 

Here,  as  I  hinted  before,  they  that  do  righteousness  are 
said  to  be  born  of  him,  that  is,  antecedent  to  their  doing  of 
righteousness,  1  John  ii.  29 ;  "  born  of  him,"  that  is,  made 
alive  with  new,  spiritual,  and  heavenly  life.  Wherefore  the 
exhortation  to  them  is,  "  Neither  yield  ye  your  members 
as  instruments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin  ;  but  yield  your- 
selves unto  God,  as  those  that  are  alive  from  the  dead,  and 
your  members  as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto  God ;" 
Rom.  vi.  13. 

Now  this  principle  must  also  be  in  men,  before  they  can 
do  that  which  is  spiritual :  for  whatever  seeming  good  thing 
any  man  doth,  before  he  has  bestowed  upon  him  this  heavenly 
principle  from  God,  it  is  accounted  nothing,  it  is  accounted 
sin  and  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God ;  for  an  evil 
tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit:  "  Men  do  not  gather 
grapes  of  thorns ;  neither  of  a  bramble  gather  figs."  It  is 
not  the  fruit  that  makes  the  tree,  but  the  tree  that  makes 
the  fruit.  A  man  must  be  good,  before  he  can  do  good  ; 
and  evil  before  he  can  do  evil. 

This  is  that  which  is  asserted  by  the  Son  of  God  himself ; 
and  it  lieth  so  level  with  reason  and  the  nature  of  things, 
that  it  cannot  be  contradicted  :  Matth.  vii.  16-18;  Luke  vi. 
43-45.  "  A  good  man,  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart, 
bringeth  forth  that  which  is  good  :  and  an  evil  man,  out  of 
the  evil  treasure  of  his  heart,  bringeth  forth  that  which  is 
evil."  But  notwithstanding  all  that  can  be  said,  it  seemeth 
very  strange  to  the  carnal  world ;  for  they  will  not  be  other- 
wise persuaded,  but  that  they  be  good  deeds  that  make  good 
men,  and  evil  ones  that  make  evil  men.  And  so,  by  such 
dotish  apprehensions,  do  what  in  them  lieth  to  fortify  their 


172  THE  PHARISEE  AND  TIIE  PUBLICAN. 

hearts  with  the  mists  of  darkness  against  the  clear  shining 
of  the  word,  and  conviction  of  the  truth. 

And  thus  it  was  from  the  beginning.  Abel's  first  ser- 
vices to  God  were  from  this  principle  of  righteousness ;  but 
Cain  would  have  been  made  righteous  by  his  deeds ;  but  his 
deeds  not  flowing  from-  the  same  root  of  goodness,  as  did 
Abel's,  notwithstanding  he  did  it  with  the  very  best  he  had, 
is  yet  called  evil :  for  he  wanted,  I  say,  the  principles,  to 
wit,  of  grace  and  faith,  without  which  no  action  can  be 
counted  good  in  a  gospel-sense. 

These  two  things,  then,  that  man  must  have  that  will 
do  righteousness.  He  must  have  put  upon  him  the  perfect 
righteousness  of  Christ :  and  he  must  have  that  dwelling 
in  him,  as  a  fruit  of  the  new  birth,  a  principle  of  right- 
eousness. Then  indeed  he  is  a  tree  of  righteousness,  and 
God  is  like  to  be  glorified  in  and  by  him  ;  but  this  the 
Pharisee  was  utterly  ignorant  of,  and  at  the  remotest  dis- 
tance from. 

You  may  ask  me  next,  But  which  of  these  are  first  be- 
stowed upon  the  Christian — the  perfect  righteousness  of 
Christ  unto  justification,  or  this  gospel-principle  of  right- 
eousness unto  sanctification  1 

A  nsw.  The  perfect  righteousness  of  Christ  unto  justifica- 
tion must  first  be  made  over  to  him  by  an  act  of  grace. 
This  is  evident, 

1.  Because  he  is  justified  as  ungodly  ;  that  is,  whilst  he 
is  ungodly  :  but  it  must  not  be  said  of  them  that  have  this 
principle  of  grace  in  them,  that  they  are  ungodly  ;  for  they 
are  saints  and  holy.  But  this  righteousness,  by  it  God 
justifieth  the  ungodly,  by  imputing  it  to  them,  when  and 
while  they,  as  to  a  principle  of  grace,  are  graceless. 

This  is  further  manifested  thus  :  The  person  must  be  ac- 
cepted before  his  performance  can  ;  "  And  the  Lord  had  re- 
spect unto  Abel,  and  to  his  offering  ;"  Gen.  iv.  If  he  had 
respect  to  Abel's  person  first,  yet  he  must  have  respect  unto 
it  for  the  sake  of  some  righteousness  ;  but  Abel  as  yet  had 
no  righteousness  ;  for  that  he  acted,  after  God  had  a  respect 


TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  173 

unto  his  person.  "  And  the  Lord  had  respect  unto  Abel, 
and  to  his  offering  :  hut  unto  Cain,  and  to  his  offering,  he 
had  no  respect." 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  also  shews  us  this,  where,  by  the 
similitude  of  the  wretched  infant,  and  of  the  manner  of 
God's  receiving  it  to  mercy,  he  shews  how  he  received  the 
Jews  to  favour.  First,  saith  he,  "  I  spread  my  skirt  over 
thee,  and  covered  thy  nakedness."  There  is  justifica- 
tion ;  "I  covered  thy  nakedness."  T^-t  what  manner  of 
nakedness  was  it  ?  Yes,  it  was  then  as  naked  as  naked 
could  be,  even  as  naked  as  in  the  day  that  it  was  born  ; 
Ezek.  xvi.  4-9.  And  as  thus  naked,  it  was  covered,  not 
with  any  thing  but  with  the  skirt  of  Christ ;  that  is,  with 
his  robe  of  righteousness,  with  his  obedience,  that  he  per- 
formed of  himself  for  that  very  purpose  ;  for  by  the  obe- 
dience of  one,  many  are  made  righteous. 

2.  Righteousness  unto  justification  must  be  first  ;  be- 
cause the  first  duty  that  a  Christian  performeth  to  God, 
must  be  accepted,  not  for  the  sake  of  the  principle  from 
which  in  the  heart  it  flows,  nor  yet  for  the  sake  of  the 
person  that  acts  it,  but  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  whose  right- 
eousness it  is  by  which  the  sinner  stands  just  before  God. 
And  hence  it  is  said,  "  By  faith  Abel  offered  unto  God  a 
more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain,"  Heb.  xi.  By  faith 
he  did  it  ;  but  faith  in  respect  to  the  righteousness  that 
justifies  ;  for  we  are  justified  by  faith  ;  not  by  faith  as  it  is 
an  acting  grace,  but  the  righteousness  of  faith,  that  is,  by 
that  righteousness  that  faith  embraceth,  layeth  hold  of,  and 
helpeth  the  soul  to  rest  and  trust  to,  for  justification  of  life, 
which  is  the  obedience  of  Christ.  Besides,  it  is  said,  by 
faith  he  offered  ;  faith  then  in  Christ  was  precedent  to  his 
offering. 

Now,  since  faith  was  in  act  before  his  offer,  and  since 
before  his  offer  he  had  no  personal  goodness  of  his  own, 
faith  must  look  out  from  home  ;  I  say  to  another  for  right- 
eousness ;  and  finding  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  be 
the  righteousness  which  by  God  was  designed  to  be  per- 
formed for  the  justification  of  a  sinner,  it  embraces  it,  and 


174  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

through  it  offereth  to  God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than 
Cain. 

Hence  it  follows,  "  By  which  he  obtained  witness  that 
he  was  righteous;"  by  which,  not  by  his  offering,  but  by 
his  faith  ;  for  his  offering,  simply  as  an  offering,  could  not 
have  made  him  righteous  if  he  had  not  been  righteous  be- 
fore ;  for  "  an  evil  tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit."  Be- 
sides, if  this  be  granted,  why  had  not  God  respect  to  Cain's 
offering  as  well  as  to  Abel's  'l  For  did  Abel  offer  1  So 
did  Cain.  Did  Abel  offer  his  best  ?  So  did  Cain  his.  And 
if  with  this  we  shall  take  notice  of  the  order  of  their  offer- 
ing, Cain  seemed  to  offer  first,  and  so  with  the  frankest 
will  and  forwardest  mind  ;  but  yet,  saith  the  text,  "  The 
Lord  had  respect  to  Abel  and  to  his  offering."  But  why  to 
Abel  ?  Why,  because  his  person  was  made  righteous  before 
he  offered  his  gift :  "  By  which  he  obtained  witness  that 
he  was  righteous  ;"  God  testifying  of  his  gifts,  that  they 
were  good  and  acceptable  because  they  declared  Abel's  ac- 
ceptation of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  through  the  riches 
of  the  grace  of  God. 

By  faith,  then,  Abel  offered  to  God  a  more  excellent 
sacrifice  than  Cain.  He  shrouded  himself  under  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ,  and  so,  of  that  righteousness,  he  offered 
to  God.  God  also  looking  and  finding  him  there  (where  he 
could  not  have  been,  as  to  his  own  apprehension,  no  other- 
wise than  by  faith),  accepted  of  his  gift ;  by  which  accep- 
tation (for  so  you  may  understand  it  also)  God  testifieth 
that  he  was  righteous  ,  for  God  receiveth  not  the  gifts  and 
offerings  of  those  that  are  not  righteous,  for  their  sacrifices 
are  an  abomination  unto  him,  Prov.  xxi.  27. 

Abel  then  was,  I  say,  made  righteous,  first,  as  he  stood 
ungodly  in  himself ;  God  justifieth  the  ungodly,  Rom.  iv. 
Now,  being  justified,  he  was  righteous  ;  and  being  right- 
eous, he  offered  his  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God,  or  other 
offerings  which  God  accepted,  because  he  believed  in  his 
Son.     But  this  our  Pharisee  understandeth  not. 

3.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  because 
we  are  made  so,  to  wit,  bv  another — "  By  the  obedience  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  175 

one  shall  many  be  made  righteous."  Now  to  he  made 
righteous,  implies  a  passiveness  in  him  that  is  so  made, 
and  the  activity  of  the  work  to  lie  in  some  body  else  ;  ex- 
cept he  had  said,  they  had  made  themselves  righteous  ; 
but  that  it  doth  not,  nor  doth  the  text  leave  to  any  the 
least  countenance  so  to  insinuate  ;  nay,  it  plainly  affirms 
the  contrary,  for  it  saith,  by  the  obedience  of  one,  of  one 
man,  Jesus  Christ,  many  are  made  righteous  ;  by  the 
righteousness  of  one,  Rom.  v.  So  then,  if  they  be  made 
righteous  by  the  righteousness  of  one  ;  I  say  if  many  be 
made  righteous  by  the  righteousness  of  one,  then  are  they 
that  are  so,  as  to  themselves,  passive  and  not  active,  with 
reference  to  the  working  out  of  this  righteousness.  They 
have  no  hand  in  that ;  for  that  is  the  act  of  one,  the  right- 
eousness of  one,  the  obedience  of  one,  the  workmanship  of 
one,  even  of  Christ  Jesus. 

Again,  If  they  are  made  righteous  by  this  righteousness, 
then  also  they  are  passive  as  to  their  first  privilege  by  it ; 
for  they  are  made  righteous  by  it ;  they  do  not  make  them- 
selves righteous  by  it. 

Imputation  is  also  the  act  of  God.  "  Even  as  David  also 
describeth  the  blessedness  of  the  man,  unto  whom  God  im- 
puteth  righteousness."  The  righteousness  then  is  a  work 
of  Christ,  his  own  obedience  to  his  Father's  law  ;  the  mak- 
ing of  it  ours  is  the  act  of  the  Father,  and  of  his  infinite 
grace  :  "  For  of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is 
made  unto  us  wisdom  and  righteousness."  "  For  God  hath 
made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  And  both  these 
things  God  shewed  to  our  first  parents,  when  he  acted  in 
grace  towards  them  after  the  fall. 

There  it  is  said,  the  Lord  God  made  unto  Adam"  and 
unto  his  wife,  coats  of  skins,  and  clothed  them  ;  Gen. 
iii.  21. 

Whence  note, 

(1.)  That  Adam  and  his  wife  were  naked,  both  in  God's 
eye  and  in  their  own,  verses  10,  11. 

(2.)  That  the  Lord  God  made  coats  of  skins. 


176  THE  PHARISEE  ASB  THE  PUBLICAN. 

(3.)  That  in  his  making  of  them,  he  had  respect  to  Adam 
and  to  his  wife,  that  is,  he  made  them. 

(4.)  That  when  he  had  made  them,  he  also  clothed  them 
therewith. 

They  made  not  the  coats,  nor  did  God  bid  them  make 
them  ;  but  God  did  make  them  himself  to  cover  their 
nakedness  with.  Yea,  when  he  had  made  them,  he  did 
not  bid  them  put  them  on,  but  he  himself  did  clothe  them 
with  them  :  for  thus  runs  the  text ;  "  Unto  Adam  also, 
and  to  his  wife,  did  the  Lord  God  make  coats  of  skins,  and 
clothed  them."  0  !  it  was  the  Lord  God  that  made  this 
coat  with  which  a  poor  sinner  is  made  righteous  !  And  it 
is  also  the  Lord  God  that  putteth  it  upon  us.  But  this  our 
Pharisee  understandeth  not. 

But  now,  if  a  man  is  not  righteous  before  he  is  made  so, 
before  the  Lord  God  has  by  the  righteousness  of  another 
made  him  so  ;  then  whether  this  righteousness  comes  first 
or  last,  the  man  is  not  righteous  until  it  cometh  ;  and  if  he 
be  not  righteous  until  it  cometh,  then  what  works  soever 
are  done  before  it  comes,  they  are  not  the  works  of  a  right- 
eous man,  nor  the  fruits  of  a  good  tree,  but  of  a  bad.  And  so 
again,  this  righteousness  must  first  come  before  a  man  be 
righteous,  and  before  a  man  does  righteousness.  Make  the 
tree  good,  and  its  fruit  will  be  good. 

Now,  since  a  man  must  be  made  righteous  before  he  can 
do  righteousness,  it  is  manifest  his  works  of  righteousness 
do  not  make  him  righteous,  no  more  than  the  fig  makes  its 
own  tree  a  fig-tree,  or  than  the  grape  doth  make  its  own 
•vine  a  vine.  Hence  those  acts  of  righteousness  that  Chris- 
tian men  do  perform,  are  called  the  fruits  of  righteousness, 
which  are  by  Jesus  Christ  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God  ; 
Phil.  i.  11. 

The  fruits  of  righteousness  they  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  fruits  of  the  tree  are  by  the  tree  itself ;  for  the  truth  is, 
that  principle  of  righteousness,  of  which  mention  has  been 
made  before,  and  concerning  which  I  have  said  it  comes  in 
in  the  second  place  ;  it  is  also  originally  to  be  found  for 
us  nowhere  but  in  Christ. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  177 

Hence  it  is  said  to  be  by  Jesus  Christ ;  and  again,  "  Of 
his  fulness  have  we  all  received,  and  grace  for  grace ;"  John 
i.  16.  A  man  must  then  he  united  to  Christ  first,  and  so 
being  united,  he  partaketh  of  this  benefit,  to  wit,  a  princi- 
ple that  is  supernatural,  spiritual,  and  heavenly.  Now,  his 
being  united  to  Christ,  is  not  of  or  from  himself,  but  of  and 
from  the  Father,  who,  as  to  this  work,  is  the  husbandman  ; 
even  as  the  twig  that  is  grafted  into  the  tree  officiateth  not, 
that  is,  grafteth  not  itself  thereunto,  but  is  grafted  in  by 
some  other,  itself  being  utterly  passive  as  to  that.  Now, 
being  united  unto  Christ,  the  soul  is  first  made  partaker  of 
justification,  or  of  justifying  righteousness,  and  now  no 
longer  beareth  the  name  of  an  ungodly  man  ;  for  he  is 
made  righteous  by  the  obedience  of  Christ ;  he  being  also 
united  to  Christ,  partaketh  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  Christ ; 
the  root,  that  is,  his  divine  nature ;  the  fatness,  that  is,  the 
fulness  of  grace  that  is  laid  up  in  him  to  be  communicated 
unto  us,  even  as  the  branch  that  is  .grafted  into  the  olive- 
tree  partaketh  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the  olive-tree. 
Now  partaking  thereof,  it  quickeneth,  it  groweth,  it  bud- 
deth,  and  yieldeth  fruit  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God  ; 
Rom.  xi.  17. 

But  these  things,  as  I  have  often  said,  the  poor  Pharisee 
was  ignorant  of,  when  so  swaggeringly  he,  with  his  "  God, 
1  thank  thee,"  came  into  the  temple  to  pray.  And,  indeed, 
in  that  which  hath  been  said  is  something  of  the  mystery 
of  God's  will  in  his  way  with  his  elect ;  and  such  a  mys- 
tery it  is,  that  it  lieth  hid  for  ever  to  nature  and  na- 
tural men  ;  for  they  think  of  nothing  less  than  of  this,  nor 
of  nothing  more,  when  they  think  of  their  souls  and  of  sal- 
vation, than  that  something  must  be  done  by  themselves  to 
reconcile  them  to  God.  Yea,  if  through  some  common  con- 
victions their  understandings  should  be  swayed  to  a  con- 
senting to  that,  that  justification  is  of  grace  by  Christ,  and 
not  of  svorks  by  men  ;  yet  conscience,  reason,  and  the  law 
of  nature,  not  being  as  yet  subdued  by  the  power  and  glory 
of  grace  unto  the  obedience  of  Christ,  will  rise  up  in  rebellion 


178  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

against  this  doctrine,  and  -will  over-rule  and  bow  down  the 
soul  again  to  the  law  and  works  thereof,  for  life. 

4.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  because, 
else  faith,  which  is  a  part,  yea,  a  greater  part  of  that  which 
is  called  a  principle  of  grace  in  the  soul,  will  have  nothing 
to  fix  itself  upon,  nor  a  motive  to  work  by.  Let  this 
therefore  be  considered  by  those  that  are  on  the  contrary 
side. 

1.  Faith,  so  soon  as  it  has  a  being  in  the  soul,  is  like 
the  child  that  has  a  being  in  the  mother's  lap  ;  it  must 
have  something  to  feed  upon ;  not  something  at  a  distance, 
afar  off,  to  be  purchased  (I  speak  now  as  to  justification 
from  the  curse),  but  something  by  promise  made  over  of 
grace  to  the  soul ;  something  to  feed  upon  to  support  from 
the  fears  of  perishing  by  the  curse  for  sin.  Nor  can  it  rest 
content  with  all  duties  and  performances  that  other  graces 
shall  put  the  soul  upon  ;  nor  with  any  of  its  own  works, 
until  it  reaches  and  takes  hold  of  the  righteousness  of 
Christ.  Faith  is  like  the  dove,  which  found  no  rest  any 
where  until  it  returned  to  Noah  into  the  ark.  But  this  our 
Pharisee  understandeth  not. 

Perhaps  some  may  object,  that  from  this  way  of  reason- 
ing it  is  apparent,  that  sanctification  is  first ;  since  the  soul 
may  have  faith,  and  so  a  principle  of  grace  in  it,  and  yet, 
as  yet  it  cannot  find  Christ  to  feed  and  refresh  the  soul 
withal. 

Answ.  From  this  way  of  reasoning  it  is  not  at  ail  appa- 
rent that  sanctification,  or  a  principle  of  grace,  is  in  the 
soul  before  righteousness  is  imputed  and  the  soul  made 
perfectly  righteous,  thereby.  And  for  the  clearing  up  of 
this,  let  me  propose  a  few  things. 

1.  Justifying  righteousness,  to  wit,  the  obedience  of  that 
one  man,  Christ,  is  imputed  to  the  sinner,  to  justify  him  in 
God's  sight  ;  for  his  law  calls  for  perfect  righteousness,  and 
before  that  be  come  to,  and  put  upon  the  poor  sinner, 
God  cannot  bestow  other  spiritual  blessings  upon  him  ;  be- 
cause by  the  law  he  has  pronounced  him  accursed ;  by  the 


THE  PnARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  179 

which  curse  he  is  also  so  holden,  until  a  righteousness  shall 
he  found  upon  the  sinner,  that  the  law  and  divine  justice 
can  approve  of,  and  be  contented  with.  So  then,  as  to  the 
justification  of  the  sinner,  there  must  be  a  righteousness 
for  God  ;  I  say,  for  the  sinner,  and  for  God  :  for  the  sinner 
to  be  clothed  with,  and  for  God  to  look  upon,  that  he  may, 
for  the  sake  thereof  in  a  way  of  justice,  bless  the  sinner 
with  forgiveness  of  sins  :  for  forgiveness  of  sins  is  the  next 
thing  that  followeth  upon  the  appearance  of  the  sinner  be- 
fore God  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ  ;  Rom.  iv.  6,  7. 

Now,  upon  this  forgiveness  follows  the  second  blessing. 
Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being 
made  a  curse  for  us  ;  and  so,  consecniently,  hath  obtained 
for  us  the  forgiveness  of  sins  :  for  he  that  is  delivered  from 
the  curse  hath  received  forgiveness  of  sins,  or  rather  is 
made  partaker  thereof.  Now,  being  made  a  partaker 
thereof,  the  second  blessing  immediately  follows,  to  wit, 
the  blessing  of  Abraham,  that  is,  the  promise  of  the  Spirit 
through  faith  ;  Gal.  iii.  13.  14.  But  this  our  Pharisee  un- 
derstandeth  not. 

But  now,  although  it  be  of  absolute  necessity  that  im- 
puted righteousness  be  first,  to  the  soul  ;  that  is,  that  per- 
fect righteousness  be  found  upon  the  sinner  first  by  God, 
that  he  may  bestow  other  blessings  in  a  way  of  justice  : 

Let  God  then  put  the  righteousness  of  his  Son  upon  me ; 
and  by  virtue,  of  that,  let  the  second  blessing  of  God  come 
into  me  ;  and  by  virtue  of  that,  let  me  be  made  to  see  my- 
self a  sinner,  and  Christ's  righteousness,  and  my  need  of  it, 
in  the  doctrine  of  it,  as  it  is  revealed  in  the  scriptures  of 
truth.  Let  me  then  believe  this  doctrine  to  be  true,  and  be 
brought  by  my  belief  to  repentance  for  my  sins,  to  hunger- 
ing and  thirsting  vehemently  after  this  righteousness  :  for 
this  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness.  Yea, 
let  me  pray,  and  cry,  and  sigh,  and  groan,  day  and  night, 
to  the  God  of  this  righteousness,  that  he  will  of  grace  make 
me  a  partaker.  And  let  me  thus  be  prostrate  before  my  God, 
all  the  time  that  in  wisdom  he  shall  think  fit ;  and  in  his 
own  time  he  shall  shew  me  that  I  am  a  justified  person,  a 


180  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

pardoned  person,  a  person  in  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  hath 
dwelt  for  some  time,  though  I  knew  it  not. 

So  then,  justification  before  God  is  one  thing,  and  justi- 
fication in  mine  own  eyes  is  another  ;  not  that  these  are 
two  justifications,  but  the  same  righteousness  by  which  I 
stand  justified  before  God,  may  be  seen  of  God,  when  I  am 
ignorant  of  it  :  yea,  for  the  sake  of  it  I  may  be  received, 
pardoned,  and  accounted  righteous  of  him,  and  yet  I  may 
not  understand  it.  Yea,  further,  he  may  proceed  in  the 
way  of  blessing  to  bless  me  with  additional  blessings,  and 
yet  I  be  ignorant  of  it. 

So  that  the  question  is  not,  Do  I  find  that  I  am  righteous  ? 
but,  Am  I  so  ?  Doth  God  find  me  so,  when  he  seeth  that 
the  righteousness  of  his  Son  is  upon  me,  being  made  over 
to  me  by  an  act  of  his  grace  ?  For  I  am  justified  freely  by 
his  grace,  through  the  redemption  which  is  in  Jesus  Christ, 
whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith 
in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  remission 
of  sins  that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God  ;  Rom. 
iii.  24.     But  this  our  Pharisee  understandeth  not. 

I  am  then  made  righteous  first  by  the  righteousness  of 
another ;  and  because  I  am  thus  righteous,  God  accepteth 
of  my  person  as  such,  and  bestoweth  upon  me  his  grace  ; 
the  which,  at  first,  for  want  of  skill  and  experience  in  the 
word  of  righteousness,  I  make  use  of  but  poorly,  and  have 
need  to  be  certified  that  I  am  made  righteous,  and  that  I 
have  eternal  life ;  not  by  faith  first  and  immediately,  but 
by  the  written  word  which  is  called  "  the  word  of  faith  ;" 
which  word  declareth  unto  me  (to  whom  grace,  and  so 
faith  in  the  seed  of  it,  is  given),  that  I  have  eternal  life, 
and  that  I  should  with  boldness,  in  peace  and  joy,  believe 
on  the  Son  of  God  ;  Heb.  v.  13  ;  Rom.  xv.  13  ;  1  John  v. 
13.     But, 

Again,  I,  in  the  first  acts  of  my  faith,  when  I  come  at 
Christ,  do  not  accept  of  him,  because  I  know  I  am  righteous, 
either  with  imputed  righteousness,  or  with  that  which  is 
inherent.  Both  these,  as  to  my  present  privilege  in  them, 
may  be  hidden  from  mine  eyes,  and  I  only  put  upon  taking 


THE  PHARISEE  AX1>  THE  PUBLICAN.  181 

of  encouragement  to  close  with  Christ  for  life  and  right- 
eousness, as  he  is  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  before  mine 
eyes,  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel ;  to  which  word 
I  adhere  as,  or  because  I  find,  I  want  peace  with  God  in 
my  soul,  and  because  I  am  convinced  that  the  means  of 
peace  is  not  to  be  found  any  where  but  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Now,  by  my  thus  adhering  to  him,  I  find  stay  for  my  soul, 
and  peace  to  my  conscience,  because  the  word  doth  ascer- 
tain to  me,  that  he  that  believeth  on  him  hath  remission 
of  sins,  hath  eternal  life,  and  shall  be  saved  from  the 
wrath  to  come. 

But,  alas  !  who  knows  (the  many  straits,  and  as  I  may 
say,  the  stress  of  weather,  I  mean)  the  cold  blasts  of  hell, 
with  which  the  poor  soul  is  assaulted,  betwixt  its  receiving 
of  grace,  and  its  sensible  closing  with  Jesus  Christ  ? 
None,  I  dare  say,  but  it  and  its  fellows.  "  The  heart  knows 
its  own  bitterness  ;  and  a  stranger  intermeddleth  not  with 
his  joy  ;"  Prov.  xiv.  10.  No  sooner  doth  Satan  perceive 
what  God  is  doing  with  the  soul,  in  a  way  of  grace  and 
mercy,  but  he  endeavoureth  what  he  may  to  make  the  re- 
newing thereof  bitter  and  wearisome  work  to  the  sinner. 
0  what  mists,  what  mountains,  what  clouds,  what  dark- 
ness, what  objections,  what  false  apprehensions  of  God,  of 
Christ,  of  grace,  of  the  word,  and  of  the  soul's  condition, 
doth  he  now  lay  before  it,  and  haunt  it  with  ;  whereby  he 
dejecteth,  casteth  down,  daunteth,  distresseth,  and  almost 
driveth  it  quite  into  despair  !  Now,  by  the  reason  of  these 
things,  faith  (and  all  the  grace  that  is  in  the  soul)  is  hard 
put  to  it  to  come  at  the  promise,  and  by  the  promise  of 
Christ ;  as  it  is  said,  when  the  tempest  and  great  danger  of 
shipwreck  lay  upon  the  vessel  in  which  Paul  was,  they 
had  "  much  work  to  come  by  the  boat ;"  Acts  xxvii.  16. 
For  Satan's  design  is,  if  he  cannot  keep  the  soul  from 
Christ,  to  make  his  coming  to  him,  and  closing  with  him, 
as  hard,  as  difficult  and  troublesome,  as  he  by  his  devices 
can.  But  faith,  true  justifying  faith,  is  a  grace,  is  not 
weary  by  all  that  Satan  can  do  ;  but  meditateth  upon  the 
word,  and  taketh  stomach,  and  courage,  fighteth  and  crieth, 


]82  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

and  by  crying  and  fighting,  by  help  from  heaven,  its  way 
is  made  through  all  the  oppositions  that  appear  so  mighty, 
and  draweth  up  at  last  to  Jesus  Christ,  into  whose  bosom 
it  putteth  the  soul,  where,  for  the  time,  it  sweetly  resteth, 
after  its  marvellous  tossings  to  and  fro. 

And  besides  what  hath  been  said,  let  me  yet  illustrate 
this  truth  unto  you  by  this  familiar  similitude. 

Suppose  a  man,  a  traitor,  that  by  the  law  should  die  foi 
his  sin,  is  yet  such  an  one  that  the  king  has  exceeding 
kindness  for ;  may  not  the  king  pardon  this  man  of  his 
clemency  ;  yea,  order  that  his  pardon  should  be  drawn  up 
and  sealed,  and  so  in  every  sense  be  made  sure ;  and  yet,  for 
the  present,  keep  all  this  close  enough  from  the  ears  or  the 
knowledge  of  the  person  therein  concerned  1  Yea,  may 
not  the  king  after  all  leave  this  person,  with  others  under 
the  same  transgression,  to  sue  for  and  obtain  this  pardon 
with  great  expense  and  difficulty,  with  many  tears  and 
heart-achings,  with  many  fears  and  dubious  cogitations  ] 

Why,  this  is  the  case  between  God  and  the  soul  that 
he  saveth ;  he  saveth  him,  pardoneth  him,  and  secureth 
him  from  tha  curse  and  death  that  is  due  unto  sin,  but  yet 
doth  not  teirhim  so  ;  but  he  ascends  in  his  great  suit  unto 
God  for  it.  Only  this  difference  we  must  make  between 
God  and  the  potentates  of  this  world  ;  God  cannot  pardon 
before  the  sinner  stands  before  him  righteous  by  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ  ;  because  he  has  in  judgment,  and  jus- 
tice, and  righteousness,  threatened  and  concluded,  that  he 
that  wants  righteousness  shall  die. 

And  I  say  again,  because  this  righteousness  is  God's 
and  at  God's  disposal  only,  it  is  God  that  must  make  a 
man  righteous  before  he  can  forgive  him  his  sins,  or  bestow 
upon  him  of  his  secondary  blessings  ;  to  wit,  his  Spirit,  and 
the  graces  thereof.  And  I  say  again,  it  must  be  this  right- 
eousness ;  for  it  can  be  no  other  that  justifies  a  sinner  from 
sin  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  from  the  sentence  of  the  law. 

Secondly,  This  is,  and  must  be  the  way  of  God  with  the 
sinner,  that  faith  may  not  only  have  an  object  to  work  upon, 
but  a  motive  to  work  by. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUftLIOAK.  183 

(1.)  Here,  as  I  said,  faith  hath  an  object  to  work  upon, 
and  that  in  the  person  of  Christ,  and  that  personal  righte- 
ousness of  his,  which  he  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  did  finish 
to  justify  sinners  withal.  This  is,  I  say,  the  object  of  faith 
for  justification,  whereunto  the  soul  by  it  doth  continually 
resort.  Hence  David  saith  to  Christ,  "  Be  thou  my  strong 
habitation  (or  as  you  have  it  in  the  margin,  Be  thou  to  me 
a  rock  of  habitation)  whereunto  I  may  continually  resort;" 
Psalm  lxxi.  3.     And  two  things  he  infers  by  so  saying. 

The  first  is,  That  the  Christian  is  a  man  under  continual 
exercises,  sometimes  one  way,  and  sometimes  another ;  but 
all  his  exercises  have  a  tendency  in  them  more  or  less  to 
spoil  him  ;  therefore  he  is  rather  for  flying  to  Christ  than 
for  grappling  with  them  in  and  by  his  own  power. 

The  second  is,  that  Christ  is  of  God  our  shelter  as  to  this 
very  thing.  Hence  his  name  is  said  to  be  "  a  strong  tower," 
and  that  the  righteous  run  into  it,  and  are  safe,  Prov.  xviii. 
10.  That  also  of  David  in  the  fifty-sixth  Psalm  is  very 
pregnant  to  this  purpose  ;  "  Mine  enemies,"  saith  he,  "  would 
daily  swallow  me  up ;  for  they  be  many  that  fight  against 
me,  0  thou  Most  High."  And  what  then  ?  Why,  saith  he, 
"  I  will  trust  in  thee."  Thus  you  see,  faith  hath  an  object 
to  work  upon  to  carry  the  soul  unto,  and  to  secure  the  soul 
in  times  of  difficulty,  and  that  object  is  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  righteousness.     But, 

(2.)  Again,  as  faith  hath  an  object  to  work  upon,  so  it 
hath  a  motive  to  work  by ;  and  that  is  the  love  of  God  in 
giving  of  Christ  to  the  soul  for  righteousness.  Nor  is  there 
any  profession,  religion,  or  duty  and  performance,  that  is  at 
all  regarded,  where  this  faith,  which  by  such  means  can 
work,  is  wanting.  "  For  in  Jesus  Christ  neither  circumci- 
sion availeth  any  thing,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  faith  which 
worketh  by  love"  (so  Gal.  v.  6)  acteth  lovely ;  or,  by  faith 
whose  fruit  is  love  (though  true  faith  hath  love  for  its  off- 
spring) ;  but  faith  which  worketh  by  love,  that  is  true, 
saving,  justifying  faith,  as  it  beholdeth  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  as  made  over  to  the  soul  for  justification  ;  so  it  be- 
holdeth love,  love  to  be  the  cause  of  its  so  being  made  over, 

p 


184  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

It  beholdeth  love  in  the  Father,  in  giving  of  his  Son,  and 
love  in  the  Son,  in  giving  of  himself  to  be  made  soul-saving 
righteousness  for  me.  And  seeing  it  worketh  by  it,  that  is, 
it  is  stirred  up  to  an  holy  boldness  of  venturing  all  eternal 
concerns  upon  Christ,  and  also  to  an  holy,  endeared,  affect- 
ing love  of  him,  for  his  sweet  and  blessed  redeeming  love. 
Hence  the  apostle  saith,  "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were 
all  dead :  and  that  he  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live, 
should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him 
which  died  for  them  and  rose  again,"  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15. 

Thus  then  is  the  heart  united  in  affection  and  love  to  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  for  the  love  that  they  have  shewed  to 
the  poor  sinner  in  their  thus  delivering  him  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  For  by  this  love  faith  worketh,  in  sweet  passions 
and  pangs  of  love,  to  all  that  are  thus  reconciled,  as  this 
sinner  seeth  he  is.  The  motive  then,  whereby  faith  worketh, 
both  as  to  justification  and  sanctification,  the  great  motive 
to  them,  I  say,  is  love,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  love  of 
Christ :  "  We  love  him,  because  he  first  loved  us."  That 
is,  when  our  faith  hath  told  us  so  ;  for  so  are  the  words 
above,  "  We  have  known  and  believed  the  love  that  God 
hath  to  us."  And  then,  "  We  love  him,  because  he  first 
loved  us."  And  then,  "  This  commandment  have  we  from 
him,  that  he  that  loveth  God,  loveth  his  brother  also,"  1 
John  iv.  16-21.  But  this  our  poor  Pharisee  understandeth 
not.     But, 

5.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  to  cut  off 
boasting  from  the  heart,  conceit,  and  lips  of  men.  Where- 
fore he  saith,  as  before,  that  we  are  justified  freely  by  the 
grace  of  God,  not  through,  or  for  the  sake  of  an  holy  gospel- 
principle  in  us  ;  but  "  through  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Jesus  Christ,"  &c.  "  Where  is  boasting  then  ?  It  is  ex- 
cluded. By  what  law  I  Of  works  ?  Nay,  but  by  the  law 
of  faith."  And  this  is  the  law  of  faith,  by  which  we  are 
justified  as  before  ;  Rom.  iii.  27,  28. 

Nor  can  any  man  propound  such  an  essential  way  to  cut 
off  boasting  as  this,  which  is  of  God's  providing  :  For  what 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  185 

has  man  here  to  boast  of  ?  No  righteousness,  nor  yet  of  the 
application  of  it  to  his  soul.  The  righteousness  is  Christ's, 
not  the  sinner's.  The  imputation  is  God's,  not  the  sinner's. 
The  cause  of  imputation  is  God's  grace  and  love,  not  the 
sinner's  works  of  righteousness.  The  time  of.  God's  im- 
puting righteousness  is  when  the  sinner  was  a  sinner, 
wrapped  up  in  ignorance,  and  wallowing  in  his  vanity  ; 
not  when  he  was  good,  or  when  he  was  seeking  of  it ;  for 
his  inward  gospel-goodness  is  a  fruit  of  the  imputation  of 
justifying  righteousness.  Where  is  boasting  then  ?  Where 
is  our  Pharisee  then,  with  his  brags  of  not  being  as  other 
men  are  ?  It  is  excluded,  and  he  with  it,  and  the  poor 
Publican  taken  into  favour,  that  boasting  might  be  cut  off. 
"  Not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should  boast."  There  is  no 
trust  to  be  put  in  men  ;  those  that  seem  most  humble,  and 
that  to  appearance,  and  farthest  off  from  pride,  it  is  natural 
to  them  to  boast ;  yea,  now  they  have  no  cause  to  boast ; 
for  by  grace  are  we  saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  of 
ourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God.  "  Not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast." 

But  if  man  is  so  prone  to  boast,  when  yet  there  is  no 
ground  of  boasting  in  him,  nor  yet  in  what  he  doth  ;  how 
would  he  have  boasted  had  he  been  permitted  by  the  God 
of  heaven  to  have  done  something,  though  that  something 
had  been  but  a  very  little  something,  towards  his  justifica- 
tion 1  But  God  has  prevented  boasting  by  doing  as  he 
has  done  ;  Eph.  ii.  8,  9.  Nay,  the  apostle  addeth  further 
(lest  any  man  should  boast),  that  as  to  good  works,  "  We 
are  God's  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good 
works,  which  God  hath  before  ordained  that  we  should 
walk  in  them  ;  ver.  10.  Can  the  tree  boast,  since  it  was 
God  that  made  it  such  ]  Where  is  boasting  then  1  "  But 
of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us 
wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion :  that,  according  as  it  is  written,  he  that  glorieth,  let 
him  glory  in  the  Lord  ;"  ]  Cor.  i.  30,  31.  Where  is  boast- 
ing then  ?     Where  is  our  Pharisee  then,  with  all  his  works 


186  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

of  righteousness,  and  with  his  boasts  of  being  better  than 
his  neighbours  ? 

It  may  be  said,  If  we  should  be  justified  for  the  sake  of 
our  inherent  righteousness,  since  that  righteousness  is  the 
gift  of  God,  will  it  not  follow  that  boasting  is,  in  the  occa- 
sion thereof,  cut  off  1 

Armo.  No  ;  for  although  the  principle  of  inherent  right- 
eousness be  the  gift  of  God,  yet  it  bringeth  forth  fruits  by 
man,  and  through  man  ;  and  so  man  having  a  hand  therein, 
though  he  should  have  ever  so  little,  he  has  an  occasion 
offered  him  to  boast.  Yea,  if  a  man  should  be  justified  be- 
fore God  by  the  grace,  or  the  working  of  the  grace  of  faith 
in  him,  he  would  have  ground  of  occasion  to  boast ;  because 
faith,  though  it  be  the  gift  of  God,  yet  as  it  acteth  in  man, 
takes  man  along  with  it  in  its  so  acting  ;  yea,  the  acting  of 
faith  is  as  often  attributed  to  the  man  by  whom  it  is  acted, 
and  oftener,  than  to  the  grace  itself.  How  then  can  it  be, 
but  that  man  must  have  a  hand  therein,  and  so  a  ground 
therein,  or  thereof  to  boast  1 

But  now,  since  justification  from  the  curse  of  the  law  be- 
fore God  lieth  only  and  wholly  in  God's  imputing  of 
Christ's  righteousness  to  a  man,  and  that  too,  while  the 
man  to  whom  it  is  imputed  is  in  himself  wicked  and  un- 
godly, there  is  no  room  left  for  boasting  before  God,  for 
that  is  the  boasting  intended  ;  but  rather  an  occasion  given 
to  shame  and  confusion  of  face,  and  to  stop  the  mouth  for 
ever,  since  justification  comes  in  a  way  so  far  above  him, 
so  vastly  without  him,  his  skill,  help,  or  what  else  soever  ; 
Ezek.  xvi.  61-63. 

6.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  that  jus- 
tification may  not  be  of  debt,  but  of  mercy  and  grace.  This 
is  evident  from  reason.  It  is  meet  that  God  should  there- 
fore justify  us  by  a  righteousness  of  his  own,  not  of  his 
own  prescribing ;  for  that  he  may  do,  and  yet  the  right- 
eousness be  ours  ;  but  of  his  own  providing,  that  the  right- 
eousness may  be  his.  "  Now  to  him  that  worketh  is  the 
reward  not  reckoned  of  grace,  but  of  debt ;"  Rom.  iv.  2-4. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  TIIE  TUBLICAN.  187 

If  I  work  for  justifying  righteousness,  and  that  way  get 
righteousness,  my  justification  is  not  of  grace,  but  of  debt. 
God  giveth  it  not  unto  me,  but  he  oweth  it  unto  me  ;  so 
then  it  is  no  longer  his,  but  mine  :  mine,  not  of  grace,  but 
of  debt.  And  if  so,  then  I  thank  him  not  for  his  remission 
of  sins,  nor  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  nor  for  eternal  life  ; 
for  if  justifying  righteousness  is  of  debt,  then  when  I  have 
it,  and  what  dependeth  thereon,  I  have  but  mine  own ;  that 
which  God  oweth  to  me. 

Nor  will  it  help  at  all  to  say,  But  I  obtain  it  by  God's 
grace  in  me ;  because  that  doth  not  cut  off  my  works,  nor 
prevent  my  having  of  a  hand  in  my  justifying  righteous- 
ness. 

Suppose  I  give  a  man  materials,  even  all  materials  that 
are  necessary  to  the  completing  of  such  or  such  a  thing  ; 
yet  if  he  worketh,  though  the  materials  be  mine,  I  am  to 
him  a  debtor,  and  he  deserveth  a  reward.  Thou  sayst. 
God  has  given  thee  his  Spirit,  his  grace,  and  all  other 
things  that  are  necessary  for  the  working  up  of  a  complete 
righteousness.  Well,  but  is  thy  work  required  to  the 
finishing  of  this  righteousness  ?  If  so,  this  is  not  the  right- 
eousness that  justifieth  ;  because  it  is  such  as  has  thy  hand, 
thy  workmanship  therein,  and  so  obtains  a  reward.  And 
observe  it,  righteousness,  justifying  righteousness,  consist- 
eth  not  in  a  principle  of  righteousness,  but  in  works  of 
righteousness ;  that  is,  in  good  duties,  in  obedience,  in  a 
walking  in  the  law  to  the  pleasing  of  the  law,  and  the  con- 
tent of  the  justice  of  God. 

I  suppose  again,  that  thou  shalt  conclude  with  me,  that 
justifying  righteousness,  I  mean  that  which  justifies  from 
the  curse  of  the  law,  resideth  only  in  the  obedience  of  the 
Son  of  God  ;  and  that  the  principle  of  grace  that  is  in  thee 
Ms  none  of  that  righteousness,  no,  not  then  when  thou  hast 
to  the  utmost  walked  with  God  according  to  thy  gift  and 
grace  ;  yet  if  thou  concludest  that  this  principle  must  be  in 
thee,  and  these  works  done  by  thee,  before  this  justifying 
righteousness  is  imputed  to  thee  for  justification,  thou  lay- 
est  in  a  caveat  against  justification  by  grace  ;  and  also  con- 


188  THE  PHARISEE   AND   THC   PUBLICAN. 

cludest,  that  though  thon  art  not  justified  by  thy  right- 
eousness, but  by  Christ,  yet  thou  art  justified  by  Christ's 
righteousness  for  the  sake  of  thine  own,  and  so  makest 
justification  to  be  still  a  debt.  But  here  the  scripture  doth 
also  cut  thee  off:  "Not  for  thy  righteousness,  or  for  the 
uprightness  of  thine  heart,  dost  thou  go  to  possess  the 
land"  (which  was  but  a  typeof  heaven)  ;  and  if  our  righteous- 
ness cannot  give  us,  by  its  excellency,  a  share  in  the  type, 
be  sure  that  for  it  we  shall  never  be  sharers  in  the  anti- 
type itself.  "  Understand,  therefore,  that  the  Lord  thy 
God  giveth  thee  not  this  good  land  to  possess  it  for  thy 
righteousness  ;  for  thou  art  a  stiff-necked  people  ;"  Deut. 
ix.  5,  6. 

Gospel-performances,  therefore,  are  not  first ;  that  was 
first,  for  the  sake  of  which  God  did  receive  these  people  into 
favour  with  himself,  and  that  was  a  covenant-righteous- 
ness ;  and  where  could  that  covenant-righteousness  be 
found,  but  in  the  Prince,  Mediator,  and  High  Priest  of  the 
covenant  ?  For  it  was  he,  and  he  only,  that  was  appointed 
of  God,  nor  could  any  but  himself  bring  in  everlasting 
righteousness  ;  Pan.  ix.  24,  25.  This  is  evident  from  these 
texts  last  mentioned;  it  was  not  for  their  righteousness 
that  they  possessed  the  land. 

Again,  As  it  was  not  for  their  righteousness  that  they 
were  made  possessors  of  the  land,  so  it  was  not  for  the 
sake  of  their  righteousness  that  they  were  made  partakers 
of  such  a  righteousness  that  did  make  them  possess  the 
land.  This  is  plain  to  reason  ;  for  personal  righteousness, 
when  by  us  performed,  is  of  no  worth  to  obtain  of  God  a 
justifying  righteousness.  But  if  it  be  of  no  worth  to 
obtain  a  justifying  righteousness,  then,  it  seems,  it  is  more 
commodious  to  both  parties  than  justifying  righteousness. 
First,  it  is  more  commodious  to  him  that  worketh  it  ; 
and,  secondly,  it  is  more  commodious  unto  him  that  re- 
ceiveth  it,  else  why  doth  he  for  it  give  us  a  due  debt, 
and  so  put  upon  us  the  everlasting  justifying  righteous- 
ness ? 

Perhaps  it  will  be  objected,  That  God  doth  all  this  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  189 

grace  ;  hut  I  answer,  That  these  are  but  fallacious  words, 
spoken  by  the  tongue  of  the  crafty.  For  we  are  not  now 
discoursing  of  what  rewards  God  can  give  to  the  operations 
of  his  own  grace  in  us,  but  whether  lie  can  in  a  way  of  jus- 
tice (or  how  he  will)  bestow  any  spiritual  blessing  upon 
sinful  creatures,  against  whom,  for  sin,  he  has  pronounced 
the  curse  of  the  law,  before  he  hath  found  them  in  a  right- 
eousness, that  is  proved  to  be  as  good  justice  and  righteous- 
ness, as  is  the  justice  and  righteousness  of  the  law,  with 
which  we  have  to  do. 

I  assert  he  cannot,  because  he  cannot  lie,  because  he 
cannot  deny  himself :  for  if  he  should  first  threaten  the 
transgression  of  the  law  with  death,  and  yet  afterwards 
receive  the  transgressor  to  grace,  without  a  plenary  satis- 
faction, what  is  this  but  to  lie,  and  to  diminish  his  truth, 
righteousness,  and  faithfulness  ;  yea,  and  also  to  overthrow 
the  sanction  and  perfect  holiness  of  his  law  ?  His  mercy, 
therefore,  must  act  so  towards  the  sinner  that  justice  may 
be  satisfied,  and  that  can  never  be  without  a  justifying 
righteousness. 

Now  what  this  justifying  righteousness  should  be,  and 
when  imputed,  that  is  the  question.  I  say,  it  is  the  right- 
eousness, or  obedience  of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh,  which 
he  assumed,  and  so  his  own,  and  the  righteousness  of  no 
body  else  otherwise  than  by  imputation. 

I  say  again,  that  this  righteousness  must  be  imputed 
first,  that  the  sinner  may  stand  just  in  God's  sight  from 
the  curse,  that  God  might  deal  with  him  both  in  a  way  of 
justice  as  well  as  mercy,  and  yet  do  the  sinner  no  harm. 

But  you  may  ask,  How  did  God  deal  with  sinners  before 
his  righteousness  was  actually  in  being  ] 

I  answer,  He  did  then  deal  with  sinners  even  as  he 
dealeth  with  them  now  ;  he  justified  them  by  it,  by  virtue 
of  the  suretyship  of  him  that  was  to  bring  it  in.  Christ 
became  surety  for  us,  and  by  his  suretyship  laid  himself 
under  an  obligation  for  those  for  whom  he  became  a  surety 
to  bring  in  this  everlasting  and  justifying  righteousness, 
and  by  virtue  of  this,  those  of  his  elect  that  came  into  and 


190  THE  PHAKISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

went  out  of  the  world  before  he  came  to  perform  his  work 
were  saved  through  the  forbearance  of  God.  Wherefore, 
before  the  Lord  came,  they  were  saved  for  the  Lord's  sake, 
and  for  the  sake  of  his  name.  And  they  that  were  spiri- 
tually wise  understood  it,  and  pleaded  it  as  their  necessities 
required,  and  the  Lord  accepted  them ;  Heb.  vii.  22  ;  Rom. 
iv.  24;  Dan.  ix.  17;  Psalm  xxv.  11. 

7.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  that  justi- 
fication may  be  certain  ;  "  Therefore  it  is  of  faith  (of  the 
righteousness  that  faith  layeth  hold  on),  that  it  might  be 
by  grace  ;  to  the  end  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the 
seed  ;"  Rom.  iv.  16.  "  That  the  promise," — What  promise  1 
The  promise  of  remission  of  sins,  &c,  might  be  sure. 

Now  a  promise  of  remission  of  sins  supposeth  a  right- 
eousness going  before  ;  for  there  is  no  forgiveness  of  sins, 
nor  promise  of  forgiveness,  for  the  sake  of  righteousness 
that  shall  be  by  us,  but  that  already  found  in  Christ  as 
head,  and  so  imputed  to  the  elect  for  their  remission.  "  God 
for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you,"  Eph.  iv.  32  ;  For 
Christ's  sake  ;  that  this,  for  the  sake  of  the  righteousness 
of  Christ.  Imputed  righteousness  must  be  first ;  yea,  it 
must  be  before  forgiveness,  and  forgiveness  is  extended  by 
God  then  when  we  lie  in  our  blood,  though  to  us  it  is  ma- 
nifested afterwards.  Therefore  it  is  of  faith  ;  he  saith  not 
by  it,  respecting  the  act  of  faith,  but  o/,  respecting  the  doc- 
trine or  word  which  presenteth  me  with  this  blessed  im- 
puted righteousness  :  they  that  are  of  faith  are  the  children 
of  faithful  Abraham.  They  that  are  of  the  doctrine  of 
faith,  for  all  the  elect  are  the  sons  of  that  doctrine  in  which 
is  this  righteousness  of  Christ  contained  ;  yea,  they  are  be- 
gotten by  it  of  God  to  this  inheritance,  to  their  comfortable 
enjoyment  of  the  comfort  of  it  by  faith. 

That  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed,  to  all 
them  wrapped  up  in  the  promise,  and  so  begotten  and  born. 
That  it  might  be  sure,  implying  that  there  is  no  certain 
way  of  salvation  for  the  elect  but  this  ;  because  God  can 
never  by  other  means  reconcile  us  to  himself,  for  his  hea- 
venly eyes  perceive,  yea,  they  spy  faults  in  the  best  of  our 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  191 

gospel  performances  ;  yea,  our  faith  is  faulty,  and  also  im- 
perfect :  how  then  should  remission  be  extended  to  us  for 
the  sake  of  that  1  But  now  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is 
perfect,  perpetual  and  stable  as  the  great  mountains ;  where- 
fore he  is  called  the  rock  of  our  salvation,  because  a  man 
may  as  soon  tumble  the  mountains  before  him,  as  sin  can 
make  invalid  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  when,  and  unto 
whom,  God  shall  impute  it  for  justice  ;  Psalm  xxxvi.  In 
the  margin  it  is  said  to  be  like  the  mountain  of  God  ;  to 
wit,  called  Mount  Zion,  or  that  Moriah  on  which  the  tem- 
ple was  built,  and  upon  which  it  stood  ;  all  other  bottoms 
are  fickle,  all  other  righteousnesses  are  so  feeble,  short, 
narrow,  yea,  so  full  of  imperfections  ;  for  what  the  law 
cculd  not  do  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  Christ 
did  for  us  in  the  similitude  of  sinful  flesh.  But  what  could 
not  the  law  do  1  Why,  it  could  not  give  us  righteousness. 
nor  strengthen  us  to  perform  it.  It  could  rot  give  us  any 
certain,  solid,  well-grounded  hope  of  remission  of  sin  and 
salvation. 

Wherefore  this  righteousness  being  imputed,  justice  findeth 
no  fault  therewith,  but  consenteth  to  the  extending  to  the 
sinner  those  blessings  that  tend  to  perfect  his  happiness  in 
the  heavens. 

8.  Righteousness  by  imputation  must  be  first,  that  in  all 
things  Christ  may  have  the  pre-eminence.  Christ  is  head 
of  the  church,  and  therefore  let  him  have  the  highest  ho- 
nour in  the  soul ;  but  how  can  he  have  that,  if  any  precede 
as  to  justification  before  his  perfect  righteousness  be  im- 
puted ]  If  it  be  said,  grace  may  be  in  the  soul,  though  the 
scul  doth  not  act  it  until  the  moment  that  justifying  right- 
eousness shall  be  imputed  : 

I  ask,  What  should  it  do  there  before,  or  to  what  pur- 
pose is  it  there,  if  it  be  not  acted  1  And  again,  how  came 
it  thither,  how  got  the  soul  possession  of  it  while  it  was 
unjustified  ?  or,  How  could  God  in  justice  give  it  to  a  per- 
son, that  by  the  law  stood  condemned,  before  they  were  ac- 
quitted from  that  condemnation  ?  And  I  say,  nothing  can 
set  the  soul  free  fi-om  that  curse  but  the  perfect  obedience 


192  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

of  Christ ;  nor  that  either,  if  it  be  not  imputed  for  that  end 
to  the  sinner  by  the  grace  of  God. 

Imputed,  that  is,  reckoned  or  accounted  to  him.  And 
why  should  it  not  he  accounted  to  him  for  righteousness  1 
What  did  Christ  bring  it  into  the  world  for  ?  for  the 
righteous  or  for  sinners  1  No  doubt  for  sinners.  And 
how  must  it  be  reckoned  to  them  ?  Not  in  circumcision, 
but  in  uncircumcision  ;  not  as  righteous,  but  as  sinners. 
And  how  are  they  to  consider  of  themselves,  even  then 
when  they  first  are  apprehensive  of  their  need  of  this  right- 
eousness ]  Are  they  to  think  that  they  are  righteous,  or 
sinners  ? 

And  again,  How  are  they  to  believe  concerning  them- 
selves, then  when  they  put  forth  the  first  act  of  faith  to- 
wards this  righteousness  for  justification  1  Are  they  to 
think  that  they  are  righteous,  or  sinners  ?  Sinners,  doubt- 
less, they  are  to  reckon  themselves,  and  as  such  to  reckon 
themselves  justified  by  this  righteousness.  And  this  is 
according  to  the  sentence  of  God,  as  appeareth  by  such 
sayings. 

"  For  when  we  were  yet  without  strength,  in  due  time 
Christ  died  for  the  ungodly." 

"  But  God  commendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while 
we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us." 

"  For  if,  while  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to 
God  by  the  death  of  his  Son,"  &c,  Rom.  v. 

Out  of  these  words  I  gather  these  three  things. 

1.  That  Christ  by  God's  appointment  died  for  us. 

2.  That  by  his  death  he  reconciled  us  to  God. 

3.  That  even  then,  when  the  very  act  of  reconciliation 
was  in  performing,  and  also  when  performed,  we  were  un- 
godly, sinners,  enemies. 

Now,  the  act  by  which  we  are  said  to  be  reconciled  to 
God,  while  ungo;lly,  while  sinners,  and  while  enemies,  was 
Christ's  offering  himself  a  sacrifice  for  us,  which  is,  in  the 
words  above  mentioned,  called  his  death  .  Christ  died  for 
the  ungodly  ;  Christ  died  for  us  while  sinners  ;  Christ  re- 
conciled us  to  God  by  his  death .     And  as  Christ  is  said  to 


THE  PHARISEE  ANI>  THE   PUBLICAN.  193 

die  for  us,  so  the  Father  is  said  to  impute  righteousness  to 
us ;  to  wit,  as  we  are  without  works,  as  we  are  ungodly. 
"  Now  to  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  him  that 
justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for  righteous- 
ness." He  worketh  not,  but  is  ungodly,  when  this  gracious 
act  of  God,  in  imputing  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  him, 
is  extended  ;  when  he  shall  believe,  his  faith  is  counted 
to  him  for  righteousness.  And  why  should  we  not  have 
the  benefit  of  the  righteousness,  since  it  was  completed  for 
us  while  we  were  yet  ungodly  ?  Yea,  we  have  the  benefit 
of  it :  "  For  when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to 
God  by  the  death  of  his  Son." 

When  I  say  the  benefit,  I  mean  that  benefit  that  Ave  are 
capable  of,  and  that  is  justification  before  God  ;  for  that  a 
man  may  be  capable  of  while  he  is  in  himself  ungodly,  be- 
cause this  comes  to  him  by  the  righteousness  of  another. 
True,  were  it  to  be  his  own  righteousness  by  which  he  was 
to  be  justified,  he  could  not :  but  the  righteousness  is 
Christ's,  and  that  imputed  by  God,  not  as  a  reward  for 
work,  or  of  debt,  but  freely  by  his  grace  ;  and  therefore 
may  be,  and  is  so,  while  the  person  concerned  is  without 
works,  ungodly,  and  a  sinner. 

And  he  that  denieth  that  we  are  capable  of  this  benefit 
while  Ave  are  sinners  and  ungodly,  may  with  the  like  reason 
deny  that  Ave  are  created  beings  :  for  that  which  is  done  for 
a  man  Avithout  him,  may  be  done  for  him  at  any  time 
which  they  that  do  it  shall  appoint.  While  a  man  is  a 
beggar,  may  not  I  make  him  Avorth  ten  thousand  a-year,  if 
I  can  and  will :  and  yet  he  may  not  knoAv  thereof  in  that 
moment  that  I  make  him  so  ?  yet  the  revenue  of  that  estate 
shall  really  be  his  from  the  moment  that  I  make  him  so, 
and  he  shall  knoAv  it  too  at  the  rent-day. 

This  is  the  case  :  Ave  are  sinners  and  ungodly ;  there  is  a 
righteousness  AATOught  out  by  Jesus  Christ  AA^hich  God 
hath  designed  Ave  shall  be  made  righteous  by :  and  by  it,  if 
he  Avill  impute  it  to  us,  we  shall  be  righteous  in  his  sight ; 
even  then  Avhen  Ave  are  yet  ungodly  in  ourselves  :  for  he 
justifies  the  ungodly. 


194  THE  PIIAKISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

Now,  though  it  is  irregular  and  blameworthy  in  man  to 
justify  the  wicked,  because  he  cannot  provide  and  clothe 
him  .with  a  justifying  righteousness,  yet  it  is  glorious,  and 
for  ever  worthy  of  praise,  for  God  to  do  it :  because  it  is  in 
his  power,  not  only  to  forgive,  but  to  make  a  man  right- 
eous, even  then  when  he  is  a  sinner,  and  to  justify  him 
while  he  is  ungodly. 

But  it  may  be  yet  objected,  that  though  God  has  re- 
ceived satisfaction  for  sin,  and  so  sufficient  terms  of  recon- 
ciliation by  the  obedience  and  death  of  his  Son,  yet  he  im- 
puteth  it  not  unto  us,  but  upon  condition  of  our  becoming 
good. 

Aiis.   This  must  not  be  admitted  :  For, 

1.  The  scripture  saith  not  so ;  but  that  we  are  reconciled 
to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son,  and  justified  too,  and  that 
while  or  when  we  are  sinners  and  ungodly. 

2.  If  this  objection  carrieth  truth  in  it,  then  it  follows 
that  the  Holy  Ghost,  faith,  and  so  all  grace,  may  be  given 
to  us,  and  we  may  have  it  dwelling  in  us,  yea,  acting  in  us, 
before  we  stand  righteous  in  the  judgment  of  the  law  be- 
fore God  (for  nothing  can  make  us  stand  just  before  God  in 
the  judgment  of  the  law,  but  the  obedience  of  the  Son  of 
God  without  us.)  And  if  the  Holy  Ghost,  faith,  and  so, 
consequently,  the  habit  of  every  grace,  may  be  in  us,  act- 
ing in  us,  before  Christ's  righteousness  be  by  God  imputed 
to  us,  then  we  are  not  justified  as  sinners  and  ungodly,  but 
as  persons  inherently  holy  and  righteous  before. 

But  I  have  shewed  you  that  this  cannot  be,  therefore 
righteousness  for  justification  must  be  imputed  first.  And 
here  let  me  present  the  reader  with  two  or  three  things. 

1.  That  justification  before  God  is  one  thing,  and  justifi- 
cation to  the  understanding  and  conscience  is  another. 
Now,  I  am  treating  of  justification  before  God,  not  of  it  as 
to  man's  understanding  and  conscience  :  and  I  say,  a  man 
may  be  justified  before  God,  even  then  when  himself  know- 
eth  nothing  thereof ;  Isa.  xl.  2  ;  Mark  ii.  5  ;  and  while  he 
hath  not  faith  about  it,  but  is  ungodly. 

2.  There  is  justification  by  faith,  by  faith's  applying  of 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  195 

that  righteousness  to  the  understanding  and  conscience, 
which  God  hath  of  his  grace  imputed  for  righteousness  to 
the  soul  for  justification  in  his  sight.  And  this  is  that  by 
which  we,  as  to  sense  and  feeling,  have  peace  with  God : 
"  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God,  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  Rom.  v.  1.  And  these  two  the 
apostle  keepeth  distinct  in  the  10th  verse  :  that  "  while  we 
were  enemies  we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of 
his  Son."  He  addeth,  "  And  not  only  so,  but  we  joy  in 
God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  hy  whom  we  have 
now  received  the  atonement,"  verse  11.  Here  you  see,  that 
to  be  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son  is  one 
thing,  and  for  us  actually  to  receive  by  faith  this  reconcilia- 
tion is  another :  and  not  only  so,  but  we  have  "  received 
the  atonement." 

3.  Men  do  not  gather  their  justification  from  God's 
single  act  of  imputing  of  righteousness,  that  we  might 
stand  clear  in  his  sight  from  the  curse  and  judgment  of  the 
law  ;  but  from  the  word  of  God,  which  they  understand 
not  till  it  is  brought  to  their  understanding  by  the  light 
and  glory  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  are  not,  therefore,  in  the  ministry  of  the  word  to  pro- 
nounce any  man  justified,  from  a  supposition  that  God  has 
imputed  righteousness  to  him  (since  that  act  is  not  known 
r.o  us),  until  the  fruits  that  follow  thereupon  do  break  out 
before  our  eyes  ;  to  wit,  the  signs  and  effects  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  indwelling  in  our  souls.  And  then  we  may  con- 
clude it,  that  is,  that  such  a  one  stands  justified  before 
God,  yet  not  for  the  sake  of  his  inherent  righteousness,  nor 
yet  for  the  fruits  thereof,  and  so  not  for  the  sake  of  the  act 
of  faith,  but  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ  his  doing  and  suf- 
fering for  us. 

Nor  will  it  avail  to  object,  that  if  at  first  we  stand  justi- 
fied before  God  by  his  imputing  of  Christ's  righteousness 
unto  us,  though  faith  be  not  in  us  to  act,  we  may  always 
stand  justified  so  ;  and  so  what  need  of  faith  1  for  therefore 
are  we  justified,  first,  by  the  imputation  of  God,  as  we  are 
ungodly,  that  thereby  we  may  be  made  capable  of  receiving 


196  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

the  Holy  Ghost  and  his  graces  in  a  way  of  righteousness 
and  justice.  Besides,  God  will  have  those  that  he  shall  jus- 
tify by  his  grace  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Jesus 
Christ  to  have  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  faith,  that  they  may 
know  and  believe  the  things  not  only  that  shall  be,  but 
that  already  are,  freely  given  to  us  of  God.  "  JSTow,"  says 
Paul,  "  we  have  received,  not  the  spirit  of  the  world  but 
the  Spirit  which  is  of  God,  that  we  might  know  the  things 
that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God  ;"  1  Cor.  ii.  12.  To  know, 
that  is,  to  believe:  it  is  given  to  you  to  believe,  who  believe 
according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty  poAver  ;  "  And  we 
have  known  and  believed  the  love  that  God  hath  to  us," 
preceding  to  our  believing;  John  iv.  16.  He  then  that  is 
justified  by  God's  imputation,  shall  believe  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  for  that  must  come,  and  work  faith,  and 
strengthen  the  soul  to  act  it,  because  imputed  righteousness 
has  gone  before.  He  then  that  believeth  shall  be  saved  ;  for 
his  believing  is  a  sign,  not  a  cause,  of  his  being  made  right- 
eous before  God  by  imputation  ;  and  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned. 

And  thus  much  for  the  Pharisee,  and  for  his  infor- 
mation. And  noav  i  come  to  that  part  of  the  text 
which  remains,  and  which  respecteth  the  publican. 

"  And  the  Publican,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up 
so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast, 
saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.''' 

What  this  Publican  was,  I  have  shewed  you,  both  with 
respect  to  nation,  office,  and  disposition.  Wherefore  I  shall 
not  here  trouble  the  reader  as  to  that.  We  now,  therefore, 
come  to  his  repentance  in  the  whole  and  in  the  parts  of  it ; 
concerning  which  I  shall  take  notice  of  several  things, 
some  more  remote,  and  some  more  near  to  the  matter  and 
life  of  it. 

But,  first,  let  us  see  how  cross  the  Pharisee  and  the  Pub- 
lican did  lie  in  the  temple  one  to  another,  while  they  both 
were  presenting  of  their  prayers  to  God. 

1.  The  Pharisee  he  goes  in  boldly,  fears  nothing,  but 
trusteth  in  himself  that  his  state  is  good,  that  God  loves  him, 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  197 

and  that  there  was  no  doubt  to  be  made  but  of  his  good 
speed  in  this  his  religious  enterprise.  But,  alas!  poor  Pub- 
lican, he  sneaks,  crawls  into  the  temple,  and  when  he  comes 
there,  stands  behind,  aloof,  off,  as  one  not  worthy  to  ap- 
proach the  divine  presence. 

2.  The  Pharisee  at  his  approach  hath  his  mouth  full  of 
many  fine  things,  whereby  he  strokes  himself  over  the 
head,  and  in  effect  calls  himself  one  of  God's  dear  sons, 
that  always  kept  close  to  his  will,  abode  with  him,  or,  as 
the  prodigal's  brother  said,  "  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I 
serve  thee  ;  neither  transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  com- 
mandment ;"  Luke  xv.  29.  But  alas  !  poor  Publican,  thy 
guilt,  as  to  these  pleas,  stops  thy  mouth  ;  thou  hast  not  one 
good  thing  to  say  of  thyself,  not  one  rag  of  righteousness  ; 
thy  conscience  tells  thee  so  ;  yea,  and  if  thou  shouldst  now 
attempt  to  set  a  good  face  on  it,  and  for  thy  credit  say 
something  after  the  Pharisee  in  way  of  thine  own  com- 
mendations, yet  here  is  God  on  the  one  side,  the  Pharisee 
on  the  other,  together  with  thine  own  heart,  to  give  thee  a 
check,  to  rebuke  thee,  to  condemn  thee,  and  to  lay  thee 
even  to  the  ground  for  thy  insolence. 

3.  The  Pharisee  in  his  approach  to  God,  wipes  his  fingers 
of  the  Publican's  enormities,  will  not  come  nigh  him,  lest 
he  should  defile  himself  with  his  beastly  rags  :  "  I  am  not 
as  other  men  are,  nor  yet  as  this  Publican."  But  the  poor 
Publican,  alas  for  him  J  his  fingers  are  not  clean,  nor  can 
he  tell  how  to  make  them  so  ;  besides,  he  meekly  and 
quietly  puts  up  with  this  reflection  of  the  Pharisee  upon 
him,  and  by  silent  behaviour  justifies  the  severe  sentence  of 
that  self-righteous  man,  concluding  with  him,  that  for  his 
part  he  is  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked,  and  not  worthy  to  come  nigh,  or  to  stand  by, 
so  good,  so  virtuous,  so  holy,  and  so  deserving  a  man  as 
our  sparkling  Pharisee  is. 

4.  The  Pharisee,  as  at  feasts  and  synagogues,  chose  the 
chief  and  first  place  for  his  person,  and  for  his  prayer, 
counting  that  the  Publican  was  not  meet,  ought  not  to  pre- 
sume to  let  his  foul  breath  once  come  out  of  his  pol- 


198  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

luted  lips  in  the  temple,  till  he  had  made  his  holy  prayer. 
And,  poor  Publican,  how  dost  thou  hear  and  put  up  this 
with  all  other  affronts,  counting  even  as  the  Pharisee 
counted  of  thee,  that  thou  wast  but  a  dog  in  comparison  of 
him,  and  therefore  not  fit  to  go  before,  but  to  come  as 
in  chains,  behind,  and  forbear  to  present  thy  mournful 
supplication  to  the  holy  God,  till  he  had  presented  his,  in 
his  own  conceit,  brave,  gay,  and  fine  oration  1 

5.  The  Pharisee,  as  he  is  numerous  in  his  repeating  his 
good  deeds,  so  is  he  stiff  in  standing  to  them,  bearing  up 
himself,  that  he  hath  now  sufficient  foundation  on  which  to 
bear  up  his  soul  against  all  the  attempts  of  the  law,  the 
devil,  sin,  and  hell.  But,  alas,  poor  Publican  !  thou  stand- 
est  naked,  nay,  worse  than  naked  ;  for  thou  art  clothed 
with  filthy  garments,  thy  sins  cover  thy  face  with  shame  : 
nor  hast  thou  in,  or  of  thyself,  any  defence  from,  or  shelter 
against,  the  attempts,  assaults,  and  censures  of  thy  spiritual 
enemies,  but  art  now  in  thine  own  eyes  (though  in  the  tem- 
ple) cast  forth  into  the  open  field  stark-naked,  to  the  loath- 
ing of  thy  person,  as  in  the  day  that  thou  wast  born,  and 
there  ready  to  be  devoured  and  torn  in  pieces  for  thy  trans- 
gressions against  thy  God. 

What  wilt  thou  do,  Publican  ?  What  wilt  thou  do  ? 
Come,  let  us  see  ;  which  way  wilt  thou  begin  to  address 
thyself  to  God  ?  Bethink  thyself :  hast  thou  any  thing 
to  say  X  speak  out,  man :  the  Pharisee  by  this  time  has 
done,  and  received* his  sentence  :  make  an  "  0  yes  ;"  let  all 
the  world  be  silent ;  yea,  let  the  angels  of  heaven  draw  near 
md  listen  ;  for  the  Publican  is  come  to  have  to  do  with 
Giod  !  yea,  is  come  from  the  receipt  of  custom  into  the 
temple  to  pray  to  him. 

"  And  the  Publican,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up 
so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast, 
saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  And  is  this  thy 
way,  poor  Publican  !  0  cunning  sinner  !  0  crafty  Pub- 
lican !  thy  wisdom  has  outdone  the  Pharisee  ;  for  it  is  bet- 
ter to  apply  ourselves  to  God's  mercy  than  to  trust  to  our- 
selves that  we  are  righteous.     But  that  the  Publican  did 


THE  PHAUISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  199 

hit  the  mark,  yea,  get  nearer  unto,  and  more  in  the  heart 
of  God  and  his  Son  than  the  Pharisee,  the  sequel  will  make 
manifest. 

Take  notice  then  of  this  profound  speech  of  the  Publi- 
can, "  God  he  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Yea,  the  Son 
of  God  was  so  delighted  with  tills  prayer,  that  for  the  sake 
of  it,  he  even  as  a  limner  draweth  out  the  Publican  hi  his 
manner  of  standing,  behaviour,  gestures,  &c,  while  he  makes 
this  prayer  to  God  :  wherefore  we  will  take  notice  both  of 
the  one  and  of  the  other;  for  surely  his  gestures  put  lustre 
into  his  prayer  and  repentance. 

1.  His  prayer  you  see  is  this,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
jinner." 

His  gestures  in  his  prayer  were  in  general  three. 

1.  He  "  stood  afar  off." 

2.  He  "  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven." 

3.  He  "  smote  upon  his  breast,"  with  his  fist,  saying, 
'  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

To  begin  first  with  his  prayer.  In  this  prayer  we  have 
two  things  to  consider  of. 

1.  His  confession  :  I  am  a  sinner. 

2.  His  imploring  of  help  against  this  malady :  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

In  his  confession  divers  things  are  to  be  taken  notice  of. 
As— 

1.  The  fairness  and  simplicity  of  his  confession  ;  "  A 
sinner  :"  I  am  a  sinner  ;  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 
This  indeed  he  was,  and  this  indeed  he  confesses ;  and  this,  I 
say,  he  doth  of  godly  simplicity.  For  a  man  to  confess  him- 
self a  sinner,  it  is  to  speak  all  against  himself  that  can  be 
spoken.  And  man,  as  degenerate,  is  too  much  an  hypocrite, 
and  too  much  a  self- flatterer,  thus  to  confess  against  him- 
self, unless  made  simple  and  honest  through  the  power  of 
conviction  upon  his  heart.  And  it  is  worth  your  noting, 
that  he  doth  not  say  he  was,  or  had  been,  but  that  at  that 
time  his  state  was  such,  to  wit,  a  sinner.  "  God  be  merci- 
ful to  me  a  sinner,"  or  who  am,  and  now  stand  before  thee 
a  sinner,  in  my  sins. 


200  THE  PirARI?EE  AND  THE  PFLLICAX. 

Now,  a  little  to  shew  you  what  it  is  to  be  a  sinner  ;  for 
every  one  that  sinneth  may  not  in  a  proper  sense  be  called 
a  sinner.  Saints,  the  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus,  do  often 
sin,  hut  it  is  not  proper  to  call  them  sinners  :  hut  here  the 
Publican  calls  himself  a  sinner;  and  therefore  in  effect  calls 
himself  an  evil  tree,  one  that  heareth  no  good  fruit ;  ono 
whose  body  and  soul  is  polluted,  whose  mind  and  conscience 
is  defiled  ;  one  who  hath  walked  according  to  the  course  01 
this  world,  and  after  the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the 
children  of  disobedience :  they  having  their  minds  at  en- 
mity against  God,  and  are  taken  captive  by  the  devil  at  his 
will  ;  a  sinner,  one  whose  trade  hath  been  in  sin,  and  the 
works  of  Satan  all  his  days. 

Thus  he  waives  all  pleas,  and  stoops  his  neck  imme- 
diately to  the  block.  Though  he  was  a  base  man,  yet  he 
might  have  had  pleas  ;  pleas,  I  say,  as  well  as  the  Phari- 
see, though  not  so  many,  yet  as  good.  He  was  of  the  stock 
of  Abraham,  a  Jew,  an  Israelite  of  the  Israelites,  and  so  a 
privileged  man  in  the  religion  of  the  Jews,  else  what  doth 
he  do  in  the  temple  ?  Yea,  why  did  not  the  Pharisee,  if 
he  was  a  heathen,  lay  that  to  his  charge  while  he  stood  be- 
fore God  ?  But  the  truth  is,  he  could  not ;  for  the  Publi- 
can was  a  Jew  as  well  as  the  Pharisee,  and  consequently 
might,  had  he  been  so  disposed,  have  pleaded  that  before 
God.  But  he  would  not,  he  could  not,  for  his  conscience 
was  under  convictions,  the  awakenings  of  God  were  upon 
him  ;  wherefore  his  privileges  melt  away  like  grease,  and 
fly  from  him  like  the  chaff  of  the  summer  threshing-floor, 
which  the  wind  taketh  up  and  scattereth  as  the  dust ;  he 
therefore  lets  all  privileges  fall,  and  pleads  only  that  he  is 
a  sinner. 

2.  In  this  confession  he  judges  and  condemns  himself: 
For  a  man  to  say,  I  am  a  sinner,  is  as  much  as  to  say,  I 
am  contrary  to  the  holiness  of  God,  a  transgressor  of  the 
law,  and  consequently  an  object  of  the  curse,  and  an  heir 
of  hell.  The  Publican,  therefore,  goeth  very  far  in  this  his 
confession  ;  For, 

3.  In  the  third  place.  To  confess  that  there  i?  nothing  in 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  21    I 

him,  done  or  can  be  done  by  him,  that  should  allure,  or 
prevail  with  God  to  do  any  thing  for  him  :  for  a  sinner 
cannot  do  good  ;  no,  not  work  up  his  heart  unto  one  good 
thought :  no,  though  he  should  have  heaven  itself  if  he 
could,  or  was  sure  to  burn  in  hell-lire  for  ever  and  ever  if 
he  could  not.  For  sin,  where  it  is  in  possession,  and  bears 
rule,  as  it  doth  in  every  one  that  we  may  properly  call  a 
sinner,  there  it  hath  the  mastery  of  the  man,  hath  bound 
up  his  senses  in  cords  and  chains,  and  made  nothing  so 
odious  to  the  soul  as  the  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Wherefore  it  is  said  of  such,  that  they  are  "  Enemies 
in  their  minds  ;"  that  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God,"  and  that  "  Wickedness  proceedeth  of  the  wicked  ;" 
and  that  the  Ethiopian  may  as  well  change  his  skin,  or 
the  leopard  his  spots,  as  they  that  are  accustomed  to  do 
evil  may  learn  to  do  well  ;  Col.  i.  ;  Rom.  viii. ;  1  Sam. 
xxiv.  13  ;  Jer.  xiii.  23. 

4.  In  this  confession  he  implicitly  acknowledged  that 
sin  is  the  worst  of  things,  forasmuch  as  it  layeth  the  soul 
out  of  the  reach  of  all  remedy  that  can  be  found  under 
heaven.  Nothing  below  or  short  of  the  mercy  of  God  can 
deliver  a  poor  soul  from  this  fearful  malady.  This  the 
Pharisee  did  not  see.  Doubtless  he  did  conclude,  that  at 
some  time  or  other  he  had  sinned  ;  but  he  never  in  all  his 
life  did  arrive  to  a  sight  of  what  sin  was  :  his  knowledge  of 
it  was  but  false  and  counterfeit,  as  is  manifest  by  his  cure ; 
to  wit,  his  own  righteousness.  For  take  this  for  a  truth 
undeniable,  that  he  that  thinks  himself  better  before  God,  be- 
cause of  his  reformations,  never  yet  had  the  true  knowledge 
of  his  sin  :  But  the  poor  Publican  he  had  it,  he  had  it  in 
truth,  as  is  manifest,  because  it  drives  him  to  the  only  .so- 
vereign remedy.  For  indeed,  the  right  knowledge  of  sin, 
in  the  filth,  and  guilt,  and  damning  power  thereof,  makes  a 
man  to  understand,  that  not  any  thing  but  grace  and  mercy 
by  Christ  can  secure  him  from  the  hellish  ruins  thereof. 

Suppose  a  man  sick  of  an  apoplexy  unto  death,  and 
should  for  his  remedy  make  use  only  of  those  things  that 
are  good  against  the  second  ague,  would  not  this  demon- 


202  THE   rilAKISKK   AM>   THE   L>ULLI CAN. 

strate  that  this  man  was  not  sensible  of  the  nature  and 
clanger  of  this  disease  ?  The  same  may  he  said  of  every 
sinner  that  shall  make  use  only  of  those  means  to  justify 
him  before  God,  that  can  hardly  make  him  go  for  a  good 
Christian  before  judicious  men.  But  the  poor  Publican,  he 
knew  the  nature  and  the  danger  of  his  disease  ;  and  knew 
also,  that  nothing  hut  mercy,  infinite  mercy,  could  cure 
him  thereof. 

5.  This  confession  of  the  Publican  declareth,  that  he  him- 
self was  home  up  now  by  an  almighty  though  invisible 
hand.  For  sin,  when  seen  in  its  colours,  and  when  ap- 
pearing in  its  monstrous  shape,  frighteth  all'  away  from 
God.  This  is  manifest  by  Cain,  Judas,  Saul,  and  others, 
who  could  not  stand  up  before  God  under  the  sense  and 
appearance  of  their  sin,  but  fled  before  him,  one  to  one  fruit 
of  despair,  and  one  to  another.  But  now  this  Publican, 
though  he  apprehends  his  sin,  that  himself  was  one  that 
was  a  sinner,  yet  he  beareth  up,  cometh  into  the  temple, 
approaches  the  presence  of  an  holy  and  sin- revenging  God, 
stands  before  him,  and  confesses  that  he  is  that  man  that 
sin  had  defiled,  and  that  had  brought  him  into  the  danger 
of  damnation  thereby. 

This  therefore  was  a  mighty  act  of  the  Publican.  He 
went  against  the  voice  of  conscience,  against  sense  and  feel- 
ing, against  the  curse  and  condemning  verdict  of  the  law : 
he  went,  as  I  may  say,  upon  hot  burning  coals  to  one  that 
to  sin  and  sinners  is  a  consuming  fire. 

Now  then,  did  the  Publican  this  of  his  own  head,  or 
from  his  own  mind  ?  No,  verily  ;  there  was  some  super- 
natural power  within  that  did  secretly  prompt  him  on, 
and  strengthen  him  to  this  more  noble  venture.  True, 
there  is  nothing  more  common  among  wicked  men,  than 
to  trick  and  toy,  and  play  with  this  saying  of  the  Publican, 
'*  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner:"  not  at  all  being  sensible 
either  what  sin  is,  or  of  their  need  of  mercy.  And  such 
sinners  shall  find  their  speed  in  the  Publican's  grayer  far 
otherwise  than  the  Publican  sped  himself;  it  will  happen 
unto  them  much  as  it  happened  unto  the  vagabond  Jews, 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  203 

exorcists,  who  took  upon  them  to  call  over  them  that  had 
evil  spirits,  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  that  were  beaten 
by  that  spirit,  and  made  fly  out  of  that  house  naked  and 
wounded,  Acts  xix.  13.  Poor  sinner,  thou  wilt  say  the 
Publican's  prayer,  and  make  the  Publican's  confession,  and 
say,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  But  hold  ;  dost 
thou  do  it  with  the  Publican's  heart,  sense,  dread,  and 
simplicity  ?  If  not,  thou  dost  but  abuse  the  Publican  and 
his  prayer,  and  thyself  and  his  God  ;  and  shalt  find  God 
rejecting  of  thee  and  thy  prayers,  saying,  The  Publican  I 
know  ;  his  prayers  and  godly  tears  I  know  ;  but  who  or 
what  art  thou  ]  and  will  send  thee  away  naked.  They 
are  the  hungry  that  he  filleth  with  good  things,  but  the 
rich  (and  the  senseless)  he  sendeth  empty  away. 

For  my  part,  I  find  it  one  of  the  hardest  things  that  I 
can  put  my  soul  upon,  even  to  come  to  God,  when  warmly 
sensible  that  I  am  a  sinner,  for  a  share  in  grace  and  mercy. 
Oil  !  methinks  it  seems  to  me  as  if  the  whole  face  of  the 
heavens  were  set  against  me.  Yea,  the  very  thought  of 
God  strikes  me  through  ;  I  cannot  bear  up,  I  cannot  stand 
before  him ;  I  cannot  but  with  a  thousand  tears  say,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner;"  Ezra  ix.  15. 

At  another  time,  when  my  heart  is  more  hard  and  stupid, 
and  when  his  terror  doth  not  make  me  afraid,  then  I  can 
come  before  him,  and  ask  mercy  at  his  hand,  and  scarce  be 
sensible  of  sin  or  grace,  or  that  indeed  I  am  before  God. 
But  above  all,  they  ai'e  the  rare  times,  when  I  can  go  to 
God  as  the  Publican,  sensible  of  his  glorious  majesty,  sen- 
sible of  my  misery,  and  bear  up,  and  affectionately  cry, 
"  God  me  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

But  again,  the  Publican,  by  his  confession,  sheweth  a 
piece  of  the  highest  wisdom  that  a  mortal  man  can  shew  ; 
because,  by  so  doing,  he  engageth  as  well  as  imploreth 
the  grace  and  mercy  of  G6\l  to  save  him.  You  see  by  the 
text  he  imploreth  it  ;  and  now  I  will  shew  you  that  he 
engageth  it,  and  makes  himself  a  sharer  in  it. 

"  He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper ;  but  whoso 
confesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy."     And 


204  THE  rilAIlTSET   AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

again,  "  If  we  confess  onr  sins,  lie  is  faithful  and  just  to 
forgive  us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness ;"  Prov.  xxviii.  13;  1  John.  i.  9. 

First,  In  the  promise  of  pardon,  "  he  shall  have  mercy ;" 
he  shall  have  his  sins  forgiven.  As  also  Solomon  prays, 
that  God  will  forgive  them  that  know  their  own  sores;  and 
they  are  indeed  such  as  are  sensible  of  the  plague  of  their 
own  heart,  2  Chron.  vi.  29,  30  ;  1  Kings  viii.  37,  38.  And 
the  reason  is,  because  the  sinner  is  now  driven  to  the  farthest 
point,  for  confession  is  the  farthest  point,  and  the  utmost 
bound  unto  which  God  has  appointed  the  Publican  to  go, 
with  reference  to  his  work  ;  as  it  is  said  of  Saul  to  David, 
when  he  was  about  to  give  him  Michal  his  daughter  to 
wife,  "  I  desire  not  any  dowry,  but  an  hundred  foreskins 
of  the  Philistines,  to  be  avenged  of  the  king's  enemies." 

So  says  God  in  this  matter,  I  desire  no  sacrifices,  nor 
legal  righteousness  to  make  thee  acceptable  to  me  :  "  Only 
acknowledge  and  confess  thine  iniquity,  that  thou  hast 
transgressed  against  me,"  1  Sam.  xviii.  25  ;  Jer.  iii.  12, 13. 
And  though  this  by  some  may  be  thought  to  be  a  very 
easy  way  to  come  at,  and  partake  of  the  mercy  of  God  ; 
yet  let  the  sensible  sinner  try  it,  and  he  shall  find  it  one  of 
the  hardest  things  in  the  world.  And  there  are  two  things 
to  which  man  is  prone,  that  makes  confession  hard  : 

First,  There  is  a  great  proneness  in  us  to  be  partial,  and 
not  thorough  and  plain  in  our  confessions.  We  are  apt  to 
make  half  confessions  ;  to  confess  some,  and  hide  some  ;  or 
else  to  make  feigned  confessions,  flattering  both  ourselves, 
and  also  God,  while  we  make  confession  unto  him  ;  or  else  to 
confess  sin,  as  our  own  fancies  apprehend,  and  not  as  the  word 
descries  them.  These  things  we  are  very  prone  to  do ;  men 
can  confess  little  sins,  while  they  hide  great  ones.  Men 
can  feign  themselves  sorry  for  sin  when  they  are  not,  or 
else  in  their  confessions  forget  to*  judge  of  sin  by  the  word. 
Hence  it  is  said,  They  turned  to  God,  "  not  with  their 
whole  hearts,  but  as  it  were  feignedly."  "  They  spake  not 
aright,  saying,  What  have  I  done  ?"  "  They  flatter  him 
with  their  mouth,  and  lie  unto  him  with  their  tongues,' ' 


THE  PHAKISEE  ANL>  THE  PUBLICAN.  205 

and  do  their  wickedness  in  the  dark,  and  sin  against  him 
with  a  high  hand,  and  then  come  to  him  and  "  cover  the 
altar  with  their  tears."  These  things  therefore  demonstrate 
the  difficulty  of  sincere  confession  of  sin  ;  and  that  to  do  it 
as  it  should,  is  no  such  easy  thing. 

To  right  confession  of  sin,  several  things  must  go  :  as, 

1.  There  must  he  sound  conviction  for  sin  upon  the 
spirit  :  for  before  a  man  shall  he  convinced  of  the  nature, 
aggravation,  and  evil  of  sin,  how  shall  he  make  godly  con- 
fession of  it  ?  Now,  to  convince  the  soul  of  sin,  the  law 
must  he  set  home  upon  the  conscience  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  :  "  For  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin."  And 
again,  "  I  had  not  known  lust,  unless  the  law  had  said, 
Thou  shalt  not  covet ;'"  Rom.  vii.  7.  This  law,  now  when 
it  effectually  ministereth  conviction  of  sin  to  the  con- 
science, doth  it  by  putting  of  life,  and  strength,  and  ter- 
ror into  sin.  By  its  working  on  the  conscience,  it  makes 
sin  revive,  "and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law;"  Rom. 
vii.  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  It  also  increaseth  and  muitiplieth  sin, 
both  by  the  revelation  of  God's  anger  against  the  soul, 
and  also  by  mustering  up  and  calling  to  view  sins  com- 
mitted and  forgotten  time  out  of  mind.  Sin  seen  in  the 
glass  of  the  law  is  a  terrible  tiling  ;  no  man  can  behold 
it  and  live.  "  When  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived, 
and  I  died  ;"  when  it  came  from  God  to  my  conscience,  as 
managed  by  an  almighty  arm,  then  it  slew  me.  And  now 
is  the  time  to  confess  sin,  because  now  a  soul  knows  what 
it  is,  and  sees  what  it  is,  both  in  the  nature  and  consequence 
of  it. 

2.  To  a  right  confession  of  sin,  there  must  be  sound-, 
knowledge  of  God,  especially  as  to  his  justice,  holiness, 
righteousness,  and  purity  ;  wherefore  the  Publican  here 
begins  his  confession  by  calling  upon  or  by  the  acknow- 
ledgement of  his  Majesty  :  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner  :  As  if  he  should  say,  God,  0  God,  0  great  God, 
0  sin-revenging  God,  I  have  sinned  against  thee,  I  have 
broken  thy  law,  I  have  opposed  thy  holiness,  thy  justice, 
thy  law,  and  thy  righteous  will.     0  consuming  fire  ("for 


206  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

our  God  is  a  consuming  fire"),  I  have  justly  provoked  thee 
to  wrath,  and  to  take  vengeance  on  me  for  my  transgres- 
sions. But  alas  !  how  few  that  make  confession  of  sin  have 
right  apprehension  of  God,  unto  whom  confession  of  sin 
doth  belong.  Alas  !  it  is  easy  for  men  to  entertain  such 
apprehensions  of  God  as  shall  please  their  own  humours, 
to  hear  up  under  the  sense  of  sin,  and  that  shall  make  their 
confession  rather  facile  and  fantastical,  than  solid  and  heart- 
breaking. The  sight  and  knowledge  of  the  great  God  is, 
to  sinful  man,  the  most  dreadful  thing  in  the  world ;  which 
makes  confession  of  sin  so  rare.  Most  men  confess  their 
sins  behind  God's  hack,  but  few  to  his  face ;  and  you  know 
there  is  ofttimes  a  vast  difference  in  thus  doing  among  men. 

3.  To  the  right  confession  of  sin,  there  must  be  a  deep 
conviction  of  the  terrihleness  of  the  day  of  judgment.  This 
John  the  Baptist  inserts,  where  he  insinuates,  that  the  Pha- 
risees' want  of  (sense  of,  and)  the  true  confession  of  sin,  was 
because  they  had  not  been  warned  (or  had  not  taken  the 
alarm)  to  ilee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  What  dread,  terror, 
or  frightful  apprehension  can  there  he,  where  there  is  no 
sense  of  a  day  of  judgment,  and  of  our  giving  unto  God  an 
account  for  it  ?  Matth.  iii.  7 ;  Luke  iii.  7. 

I  say,  therefore,  to  confession  of  sin,  there  must  be, 

(1.)  A  deep  conviction  of  the  certainty  of  the  day  of 
judgment ;  namely,  that  such  a  day  is  coming,  that  such  a 
day  shall  he.  This  the  apostle  insinuates,  where  he  saith, 
"  God  commandeth  all  men,  every  where,  to  repent  :  he- 
cause  he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  or- 
dained, whereof  he  hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in 
that  he  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead ;"  Acts  xvii.  30,  3 1 . 

This  will  give  a  sense  of  what  the  soul  must  expect  at 
that  day  for  sin,  and  so  will  drive  to  an  hearty  acknow- 
ledgement of  it,  and  strong  cries  for  a  deliverance  from  it. 
For  thus  will  the  soul  argue  that  expecteth  the  judgment- 
day,  and  that  believes  that  it  must  count  for  all.  0  my 
heart !  it  is  in  vain  now  to  dissemble,  or  to  hide,  or  to  lessen 
transgressions;  for  there  is  a  judgment  to  come,  a  day  in 


THE  PHARISEE  AND   TUE   PUBLICAN.  207 

which  God  will  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  his  Son  ;  and 
at  that  day  he  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  dark- 
ness, and  will  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  heart.  If  it  must 
he  so  then,  to  what  end  will  it  he  now  to  seek  to  dissemble  ? 
1  Cor.  iv.  5.  This  also  is  in  the  Old  Testament  urged  as  an 
argument  to  cause  youth,  and  persons  of  all  sizes,  to  recall 
themselves  to  sobriety,  and  so  to  confession  of  their  sin  to 
God ;  where  the  Holy  Ghost  saith  ironically,  "  Rejoice,  0 
young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in 
the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of  thine  heart, 
and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes:  but  know  thou  that  for  all 
these  things  God  will  bring  thee  into  judgment."  So  again, 
"  God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every 
secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good  or  whether  it  be  evil," 
Eccles.  xi.  9  ;  xii.  12,  14. 

The  certainty  of  this,  I  say,  must  go  to  the  producing  of 
a  sincere  confession  of  sin  ;  and  this  is  intimated  by  the 
Publican,  who  with  his  confession,  addeth,  "  God  be  merci- 
ful to  me  a  sinner."  As  if  he  should  say,  If  thou  art  not 
merciful  to  me,  thy  judgment  shall  swallow  me  up  :  with- 
out thy  mercy  I  shall  not  stand,  but  fall  by  the  judgment 
which  thou  hast  appointed. 

(2.)  As  there  must  be,  for  the  producing  of  sincere  con- 
fession of  sin,  a  deep  conviction  of  the  certainty,  so  of  the 
terribleness,  of  the  day  of  judgment :  wherefore  the  apostle, 
to  put  men  on  repentance,  which  is  sincere  confession  of  sin, 
saith,  "  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his 
body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good 
or  bad.  Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  per- 
suade men;"  2  Cor.  v.  10,  11.  The  terror  of  the  Lord,  as 
we  see  here,  he  makes  use  of,  to  persuade  men  to  confession 
of  sin,  and  repentance  to  God  for  mercy. 

And  I  am  persuaded,  that  one  reason  that  this  day  doth 
so  swarm  with  wanton  professors,  is,  because  they  have 
not  sound  conviction  for,  nor  go  to  God  with  sincere  con- 
fession of,  sin  :  and  one  cause  of  that  has  been,  that  they 


208  THE   PIIAKISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

did  never  seriously  fall  in  with,  nor  yet  sink  under  either 
the  certainty  or  terribleness,  of  the  day  of  judgment. 

0  the  terrors  uf  the  Lord  !  the  amazing-  face  that  will  he 
put  upon  all  things  before  the  tribunal  of  God  !  Yea,  the 
terror  that  will  then  be  read  in  the  face  of  God,  of  Christ, 
of  saints  and  angels,  against  the  ungodly  !  Whoso  believes 
and  understands  it,  cannot  live  without  confession  of  sin  to 
God,  and  a  coming  to  him  for  mercy. 

•"  Mountains,  fall  upon  us,  and  cover  us,  and  hide  us  from 
the  face  of  him  that  sits  upon  the  throne,  and  from  the 
wrath  of  the  Lamb ;  for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come, 
and  who  is  able  to  stand  V  This  terror  is  also  signified, 
where  it  is  said,  "  And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and 
him  that  sat  on  it,  from  whose  face  the  (very)  earth  and 
the  heaven  fled  away  :  and  there  was  found  no  place  for 
them.  And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before 
God  :  and  the  books  were  opened  ;  and  another  book  was 
opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life  :  and  the  dead  were 
judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the 
books,  according  to  their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the 
dead  which  were  in  it  ;  and  death  and  hell  delivered  up  the 
dead  which  were  in  them  :  and  they  were  judged  every 
man  according  to  his  works.  And  death  and  hell  were 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second  death.  And 
whosoever  was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  li: 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  ;*'  Rev.  xx.  Here  is  terror  ;  and 
this  is  revealed  in  the  word  of  God,  that  sinners  might 
hear  and  consider  it,  and  so  come  and  confess,  and  implore 
God's  mercy. 

The  terror  of  the  Lord,  how  will  it  appear,  when  he 
"  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  with  his  mighty  angels,  in 
flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God, 
and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Chris:  I "  2 
Thess.  i.  7-9! 

The  terror  of  the  Lord,  how  will  it  appear,  when  his 
wrath  shall  burn  and  flame  out  like  an  oven  or  a  fiery  fur- 
nace before  him,  while  the  wicked  stand  in  his  sight  ! 
Matt.  xiii.  50. 


THE  PHAKi:  '2W 

The  terror  of  -  white  the 

ricked  to  burn 
them  !     u  As  th.  -1  burned  in  the  fire, 

so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this  world.     The  Son  of  man 
shall  send  forth  his  ar._ 

out  of  his  kingdom  all  thir..  nd,  and  them  that  do 

iniquity,  and  shall  cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire,  where 
there  shall  g  and  gnashing  of  teeth  ;"' 

Who  can  conceive  this  tenor  !  much  more  unable 
are  men  to  exp:  I  tongue  c  I  the  truly 

nt  and    sin-co:.  -       -  lican  hath  appreL 

so  far  thereof,  V  stimon j,  thai 

him  to  God  with  a  c<: :  :  r  an  inter. 

mercy.     But, 

4.  To  right  and  sin  :  sin  there  must  be  a 

conviction  of  a  probability  of  inc .  ]        also  is  in:!: 

by  the  Publican  in  his  ;aith  he)  be  mer- 

ciful to  me  a  sinner."     Ee  had  soine  glim:.  mercy, 

some   conviction   of  a  icy,   or  th 

might  obtain  mercy  for  his  pardon,  if  he 
unfeigned  lips  did 

1  espair  of  mercy  shuts  up  the  mouth,  makes  the  heart 
hard,  and  drives  a  man  aw 
the  case  of  Adam  and  the  fallen 

timation  of  mercy,  if  the  heart  can  but  touch,  feel,  ta 
have:  :.  the  mouth, 

tend  to  soften  the  heart,  and  to  make  a  very  publican  come 
up  to  God  into  the  temple,  and  1  be  merciful  to 

me  a  sinr. 

There  m  :  holy  mixture  of  things  in  the 

heart  of  a  truly  ..._  publican.     There  must  be  sound 

........  of  the 

is  also 
of  th^  obtaining  :y.     But  I 

hich  remi.        !  :hings 

that  did  make  unfeigned  c  .  -rd.     The  first  I  have 

touched  upon. 

And  now  the  second  follows :  and  that  is,  some 


210  THE  PIIARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

private  leaning  to  some  goodness  a  man  shall  conceit  that 
he  hath  done  before,  or  is  doing-  now,  or  that  he  pnrposeth 
to  prevail  with  God  for  the  pardon  of  sins.  This  man,  to 
be  sure,  knows  not  sin  in  the  nature  and  evil  of  it,  only  he 
has  some  false  apprehensions  about  it.  For  where  the 
right  knowledge  of  sin  is  in  the  heart,  that  man  sees  so 
much  evil  in  the  least  transgressions,  as  that  it  would 
break  the  back  of  all  the  angels  of  heaven  should  the 
great  God  impute  it  to  them.  And  he  that  sees  this  is  far 
enough  off  from  thinking  of  doing  to  mitigate  or  assuage 
the  rigour  of  the  law,  or  to  make  pardonable  his  own  trans- 
gressions thereby.  But  he  that  sees  not  this,  caimot  con- 
fess his  transgressions  aright ;  for  true  confession  consisteth 
in  the  general,  in  a  man's  taking'  to  himself  his  transgres- 
sions, with  the  acknowledgment  of  them  to  be  his,  and  that 
he  cannot  stir  from  under  them,  nor  do  anything  to  make 
amends  for  them,  or  to  palliate  the  rigour  of  justice  against 
the  soul.  And  this  the  Publican  did  when  he  cried,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

He  made  his  sins  his  own;  he  stood  before  God  in  them, 
accounting  that  he  was  surely  undone  for  ever,  if  God  did 
not  extend  forgiveness  unto  him.  And  this  is  to  do  as  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  bids ;  to  wit,  only  to  acknowledge  our 
iniquities,  to  acknowledge  them  at  the  terrible  bar  of  God's 
justice,  until  mercy  takes  them  out  of  the  way ;  not  by  do- 
ing, or  promising  to  do,  either  this  or  that  good  work. 
And  the  reason  of  this  kind  of  confession  is, 

(1.)  Because  this  carrieth  in  it  the  true  nature  of  confes- 
sion ;  to  confess,  and  plead  for  mercy  under  the  crimes  con- 
fessed, without  shifts  and  evasions,  is  the  only  real  simple 
way  of  confession.  "  I  said,  I  will  confess  my  transgres- 
sions to  the  Lord  ;"  and  what  then  ?  "and  thou  forgavest 
the  iniquity  of  my  sin."  Mark,  nothing  comes  in  betwixt 
confession  and  forgiveness  of  sin,  Psalm  xxxii.  5  ;  nothing 
of  works  of  righteousness,  nothing  of  legal  amendments, 
nothing  but  an  outcry  for  mercy  ;  and  that  act  is  so  far  off" 
from  lessening  the  offence,  that  it  greatly,  heightens  and 
aggravates  it.     That  is  the  first  reason. 


TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  THE   PUBLICAN.  211 

(2.)  A  second  reason  is,  Because  God  doth  expect  that 
the  penitent  confessors  should  not  only  confess,  but  bear 
their  shame  on  them  :  yea,  saith  God,  "  Be  thou  confounded 
also,  and  bear  thine  own  shame:"  when  God  takes  away 
thine  iniquity,  thou  shalt  "  he  confounded,  and  never  open 
thy  mouth  more,  because  of  thy  shame ;"  Ezek.  xvi.  52,  54, 
62,  63.  We  count  it  convenient  that  men,  when  their 
crimes  and  transgressions  are  to  be  manifested,  that  they  he 
set  in  some  open  place  with  a  piece  paper,  wherein  their 
transgressions  are  inserted,  that  they  may  not  only  confess, 
but  hear  their  own  shame.  At  the  penitential  confession  of 
sinners  God  has  something  to  do ;  if  not  before  men,  yet 
before  angels,  that  they  may  behold,  and  be  affected,  and 
rejoice  when  they  shall  see,  after  the  revelation  of  sin,  the 
sinner  taken  into  the  favour  and  abundant  mercy  of  God  ; 
Luke  xv. 

(3.)  A  third  reason  is,  for  that  God  will,  in  the  forgive- 
ness of  sin,  magnify  the  riches  of  his  mercy  ;  but  this  can- 
not be,  if  God  shall  suffer,  or  accept  of  such  confession  of 
sin,  as  is  yet  intermixed  with  those  things  that  will  darken 
the  heinousness  of  the  offence. 

That  God,  in  the  salvation,  and  so  in  the  confession,  of 
the  sinner,  designs  the  magnifying  of  his  mercy,  is  appa- 
rent enough  from  the  whole  current  of  scripture  ;  and  that 
any  of  the  things  now  mentioned  will,  if  suffered  to  he 
done,  darken  and  eclipse  this  thing,  is  evident  to  reason 
itself. 

Suppose  a  man  stand  indicted  for  treason,  yet  shall  so 
order  the  matter  that  it  shall  ring  in  the  country  that 
his  offences  are  but  petty  crimes  ;  though  the  king  shall 
forgive  this  man,  much  glory  shall  not  thereby  redound 
to  the  riches  and  greatness  of  his  mercy.  But  let  all 
things  lie  naked,  let  nothing  lie  hid  or  covered,  let  sin  be 
seen,  shewn,  and  confessed,  as  it  is  in  the  sinner  himself, 
and  then  there  will  be  in  his  forgiveness  a  magnifying  of 
mercy. 

(4.)  A  fourtl^reason  is,  for  else  God  cannot  be  justified 
in  his  sayings,  nor  overcome  when  he  is  judged  ;  Psalm 


212  TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

li.;  Rom.  iii.  God's  word  hath  told  us  what  sin  is,  both 
as  to  its  nature  and  evil  effects  ;  God's  word  hath  told  us, 
that  the  best  of  our  righteousness  is  no  better  than  filthy 
rags.  God's  word  has  also  told  us,  that  sin  is  forgiven  us 
freely  by  grace,  and  not  for  the  sake  of  our  amendments  : 
and  all  this  God  shews,  not  only  in  the  acts  of  his  mercy 
toward,  but  even  in  the  humiliations  and  confessions  of,  the 
penitent  ;  for  God  will  have  his  mercy  to  be  displayed  even 
there  where  the  sinner  hath  taken  his  first  step  toward 
him  :  "  That  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  grace 
might  reign  through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life  by 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ;"    E.om.  v.  21. 

(5.)  A  fifth  reason  is,  because  God  would  have  by  the 
Publican's  conversion  others  affected  with  the  displays  and 
discoveries  of  wonderful  grace,  but  not  to  cloud  and  cover 
it  with  lessening  of  sin. 

For  what  will  such  say  when  sin  begins  to  appear  to 
conscience,  and  when  the  law  shall  follow  it  with  a  voice 
of  words,  each  one  like  a  clap  of  thunder  ?  I  say,  what 
will  such  say,  when  they  shall  read  that  the  Publican  did 
only  acknowledge  his  iniquity,  and  found  grace  and  favour 
of  God  ?  That  God  is  infinitely  merciful  to  those  or  to 
such  as  in  truth  stand  in  need  of  mercy.  Also,  that  he 
sheweth  mercy  of  his  own  good  pleasure,  nothing  moving 
him  thereto. 

I  say,  this  is  the  way  to  make  others  be  affected  with 
mercy,  as  he  saith,  by  the  apostle  Paul,  "  But  God,  who 
is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved 
us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  to- 
gether with  Christ  (by  grace  ye  are  saved)  ;  and  hath 
raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  that  in  the  ages  to  come  he  might 
shew  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace  in  his  kindness  to 
us-ward  (or  toward  us)  through  Christ  Jesus  ;"  Eph.  ii. 
4-7.     You  may  also  see  that  1  Tim.  i.  15,  16. 

(fi.)  Another  reason  of  this  is,  because  this  is  the  way  to 
heighten  the  comfort  and  consolation  of  tli$  soul,  and  that 
both  here  and  hereafter.     What  tendeth  more  to  this,  than 


THE  PHARISEE   AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  213 

for  sinners  to  see,  and  with  guilt  and  amazement  to  confess, 
what  sin  is,  and  so  to  have,  pardon  extended  from  God  to 
the  sinner  as  such  1  This  fills  the  heart ;  it  ravishes  the 
soul;  puts  joy  into  the  thoughts  of  salvation  from  sin,  and 
deliverance  from  wrath  to  come.  Now  they  "  return,  and 
come  to  Zion  with  songs,  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their 
heads  :  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and 
sighing  shall  flee  away  ;"  .Isa.  xxxv.  10.  Indeed,  the  be- 
lief of  this  makes  joy  and  gladness  endless. 

(7.)  Besides,  it  layeth  upon  the  soul  the  greatest  obliga- 
tions to  holiness.  What  like  the  apprehension  of  free  for- 
giveness (and  that  apprehension  must  come  in  through  a 
sight  of  the  greatness  of  sin,  and  of  inability  to  do  any 
tiling  towards  satisfaction),  to  engage  the  heart  of  a  rebel 
to  love  his  prince,  and  to  submit  to  his  laws  1 

When  Elisha  had  taken  the  Syrian  captives,  some  were 
for  using  severities  towards  them  ;  but  he  said,  "  Set  bread 
and  water  before  them,  that  fliey  may  eat  and  drink  and 
go  to  their  master  ;"  and  they  did  so.  And  what  follows  1 
"  So  the  bands  of  Syria  came  no  more  into  the  land  of 
Israel," — he  conquered  their  malice  with  his  compassion. 
And  it  is  the  love  of  Christ  that  constraineth  to  live  to 
him  ;  2  Kings  vi.  13-23  ;  2  Cor.  v.  14. 

Many  other  things  might  possibly  be  urged,  but  at  pre- 
sent let  these  be  sufficient. 

The  second  thing  that  we  made  mention  of  in  the 
Publican's  prayer,  was  an  imploring  of  help  against  this 
malady  :  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  In  which 
petition  I  shall  take  notice  of  several  things. 

First,  That  a  man's  help  against  sin  doth  not  so  abso- 
lutely lie  in  his  personal  conquest  as  in  the  pardon  of 
them.  I  suppose  a  conquest,  though  there  can  indeed  by 
man  be  none  so  long  as  he  liveth  in  this  world,  I  mean, 
a  complete  conquest  and  annihilation  of  sin. 

The  Publican,  and  so  every  graciously  awakened  sinner, 
is  doubtless  for  the  subduing  of  sin  ;  but  yet  he  looketh 
that  the  chief  help  against  it  doth  lie  in  the  pardon  of 
it.     Suppose  a  man   should  stab  his  neighbour  with  his 


214  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUELICAN. 

knife,  and  afterwards  burn  his  knife  to  nothing  in  the  fire, 
would  this  give  him  help  against  his  murder  1  No,  verily, 
notwithstanding  this,  his  neck  is  obnoxious  to  the  halter, 
yea,  and  his  soul  to  hell-fire.  But  a  pardon  gives  him  ab- 
solute help  :  It  is  God  that  justifies  ;  who  shall  condemn  \ 
Rom.  viii.  Suppose  a  man  should  live  many  days  in  re- 
bellion against  God,  and  after  that  leave  off  to  live  any 
longer  so  rebelliously,  would  this  help  him  against  the 
guilt  which  he  had  contracted  before  1  No,  verily  ;  without 
remission  there  is  no  help,  but  the  rebel  is  undone.  Where- 
fore the  first  blessedness,  yea,  and  that  without  which  all 
other  things  cannot  make  one  blessed,  it  lies  in  pardon. 
"  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is 
covered.  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  will  not 
impute  sin  ;"  Psalm  xxxii.  ;  Rom.  iv. 

Suppose  a  man  greatly  sanctified  and  made  holy  ;  I  say, 
suppose  it  :  yet  if  the  sins  before  cbmmitted  by  him  be  not 
pardoned,  he  cannot  be  a  blessed  man. 

Yet  again,  suppose  a  man  should  be  caught  up  to  heaven, 
not  having  his  sins  pardoned  ;  heaven  itself  cannot  make 
him  a  blessed  man.  I  suppose  these  things — not  that  they 
can  be — to  illustrate  my  matter.  There  can  be  no  blessed- 
ness upon  any  man  who  yet  remaineth  unforgiven.  You 
see  therefore  here,  that  there  was  much  of  the  wisdom  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  this  prayer  of  the  Publican.  He  was 
directed  the  right,  the  only,  the  next  way  to  shelter,  where 
blessedness  begins,  even  to  mercy  for  the  pardon  of  his  sins. 
Alas  !  what  would  it  advantage  a  traitor  to  be  taken  up 
into  the  king's  coach,  to  be  clothed  with  the  king's  royal 
robe,  to  have  put  upon  his  finger  the  king's  gold  ring,  and 
to  be  made  to  wear,  for  the  present,  a  chain  of  gold  about 
his  neck,  if  after  all  this  the  king  should  say  unto  him, 
But  I  will  not  pardon  thy  rebellion  ;  thou  shalt  die  for  thy 
treason  ?  Pardon,  then,  to  him  that  loves  life,  is  better,  and 
more  to  be  preferred  and  sought  after,  than  all  other  things ; 
yea,  it  is  the  highest  wisdom  in  any  sinner  to  seek  after 
that  first. 

This  therefore  confute!  h  the  blindness  of  some,  and  the 


THE  PHARISEE  AST)  THE  PUELTCAN.  215 

hypocrisy  of  others.  Some  are  so  silly  and  so  blind  as 
quite  to  forget  and  look  over  the  pardon  of  sin,  and  to  lay 
their  happiness  in  some  external  amendments,  when,  alas  ! 
poor  wretches  as  they  are,  they  abide  under  the  wrath  of 
God.  Or  if  they  he  not  quite  so  foolish  as  utterly  to  forget 
the  forgiveness  of  sin,  yet  they  think  of  it  but  in  the  second 
place  ;  they  are  for  setting  of  sanctification  before  justifi- 
cation, and  so  seek  to  confound  the  order  of  God  ;  and 
that  which  is  worse  unto  them,  they  by  so  doing  do  what 
they  can  to  keep  themselves  indeed  from  being  sharers  in 
that  great  blessing  of  forgiveness  of  sins  by  grace. 

But  the  Publican  here  was  guided  by  the  wisdom  of  hea- 
ven. He  comes  into  the  temple,  he  confesseth  himself  a 
sinner,  and  forthwith,  without  any  delay,  before  he  re- 
mo  veth  his  foot  from  where  he  stands,  craves  help  of  par- 
don ;  for  he  knew  that  all  other  things,  if  he  remained  in 
guilt,  would  not  help  him  against  that  damnation  that  be- 
longed to  a  vile  and  unforgiven  sinner. 

This  also  confuteth  the  hypocrites,  such  as  is  our  Pha- 
risee here  in  the  text,  that  glory  in  nothing  so  much  as 
that  they  are  not  as  other  men,  not  unjust,  no  adulterer, 
no  extortioner,  nor  even  as  this  Publican  ;  and  thus  miss 
of  the  forgiveness  of  sin  ;  and  if  they  have  missed  of  the 
beginning  good,  they  shall  never,  as  so  standing,  receive 
the  second  or  the  third.  Justification,  sanctification,  glo- 
rification, they  are  the  three  things,  but  the  order  of  God 
must  not  be  perverted.  Justification  must  be  first,  because 
that  comes  to  man  while  he  is  ungodly  and  a  sinner. 

Justification  cannot  be  where  God  has  not  passed  a  par- 
don. A  pardon,  then,  is  the  first  thing  to  be  looked  after 
by  the  sinner.  This  the  Pharisee  did  not ;  therefore  he  went 
down  to  his  house  unjustified  ;  he  set  the  stumbling-block 
of  his  iniquity  before  his  face  when  he  went  to  inquire  of 
the  Lord  ;  and  as  he  neglected,  slighted,  scorned,  because 
he  thought  that  he  had  no  need  of  pardon,  therefore  it  was 
given  to  the  poor,  needy,  and  miserable  Publican,  and  he 
went  away  with  the  blessing. 

Publicans,  since  this  is  so  weighty  a  point,  let  me  ex- 

R 


216  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

hurt  you  that  yon  Jo  not  forget  this  prayer  of  your  wise 
and  elder  brother,  to  wit,  the  Publican  that  went  up  into 
the  temple  to  pray.  I  say,  forget  it  not,  neither  suffer  any 
vain-glorious  or  self-conceited  hypocrites  with  arguments 
to  allure  you  with  their  silly  and  deceitful  tongues  from 
this  wholesome  doctrine.  Remember  that  you  are  sinners 
as  abominable  as  the  Publican,  wherefore  do  you,  as 
you  have  him  for  your  pattern,  go  to  God,  confess,  in  all 
simple,  honest,  and  self-abasing,  your  numerous  and  abo- 
minable sins  ;  and  be  sure  that  in  the  very  next  place  you 
forget  not  to  ask  for  pardon,  saying,  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner."  And  remember  that  none  but  God  can  help 
you  against,  nor  keep  you  from,  the  damnation  and  misery 
that  comes  by  sin. 

Secondly,  As  the  Publican  imploreth  help,  so  notwith- 
standing the  sentence  of  the  law  that  is  gone  out  against 
him,  he  saith  to  God,  Be  merciful  to  me  :  and  also  in  that 
lie  concludes  himself  a  sinner.  I  say,  he  justifieth,  lie 
approveth  of  the  sentence  of  the  law,  that  was  now  gone 
out  against  him,  and  by  which  he  now  stood  condemned 
in  his  own  conscience  before  the  tribunal  of  God's  justice. 
He  saith  not  as  the  hypocrite,  Because  I  am  innocent, 
surely  his  anger  shall  turn  from  me  ;  or,  What  have  we 
spoken  so  much  against  thee  1  No,  he  is  none  of  these 
murmurers  or  complainers,  but  fairly  falls  before  the  law, 
witnesses,  judge,  and  jury,  and  consenteth  to  the  verdict, 
sentence,  and  testimony  of  each  of  them  ;  Jer.  ii.  36  ;  Mai. 
ii.  13. 

To  illustrate  this  a  little,  suppose  a  malefactor  should 
be  arraigned  before  a  judge,  and  that  after  the  witnesses, 
jury,  and  judge,  have  all  condemned  him  to  death  for  his 
fact,  the  judge  again  should  ask  him  what  he  can  say  for 
himself  why  sentence  of  death  should  not  pass  upon  him  ? 
Now,  if  he  saith,  Nothing,  but  good  my  lord,  mercy  ;  he 
confesseth  the  indictment,  approveth  of  the  verdict  of  the 
jury,  and  consenteth  to  the  judgment  of  the  judge. 

The  Publican  therefore  in  crying,  Mercy,  justifieth  the 
sentence  of  the  law  that  was  gone  out  against  his  sins.    He 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  217 

wrangleth  not  with  the  law,  saying,  that  was  too  severe  ; 
though  many  men  do  thus,  saying,  "  God  forbid  ;  for  then 
woe  be  to  us."  He  wrangleth  not  with  the  witness,  which 
was  his  own  conscience  ;  though  some  will  buffet,  smite, 
and  stop  its  mouth,  or  command  it  to  be  silent.  He 
wrangleth  not  with  the  jury,  which  were  the  prophets  and 
apostles  ;  though  some  men  cannot  abide  to  hear  all  that 
they  say.  He  wrangleth  not  with  the  judge,  nor  sheweth 
himself  irreverently  before  him  ;  but  in  all  humble  ges- 
tures that  could  bespeak  him  acquiescing  writh  the  sen- 
tence, he  flieth  to  mercy  for  relief. 

Nor  is  this  alone  the  way  of  the  Publican  ;  but  of  other 
godly  men  before  his  time.  When  David  was  condemned, 
he  justified  the  sentence  and  the  judge,  out  of  whose  mouth 
it  proceeded,  and  so  fled  for  succour  to  the  mercy  of  God  ; 
Psalm  li.  When  Shemaiah  the  prophet  pronounced  God's 
judgments  against  the  princes  of  Judah  for  their  sin,  they 
said,  "  The  Lord  is  righteous."  When  the  church  in  the 
Lamentations  had  reckoned  up  several  of  her  grievous  afflic- 
tions wherewith  she  had  been  chastised,  she,  instead  of  com- 
plaining, doth  justify  the  Lord,  and  approve  of  the  sentence 
that  was  passed  upon  her,  saying,  "  The  Lord  is  righteous  ; 
for  I  have  rebelled  against  his  commandment."  So  Daniel, 
after  he  had  enumerated  the  evils  that  befel  the  church  in 
his  day,  addeth,  "  Therefore  hath  the  Lord  brought  it  upon 
us  ;  for  the  Lord  our  God  is  righteous  in  all  his  works  which 
he  doth  :  for  we  obeyed  not  his  voice  ;"  2  Chron.  xii.  6  ; 
Lam.  i.  18  ;  Dan.  ix.  14. 

And  this  is  the  case  with  our  Publican.  He  has  trans- 
gressed a  law  that  is  holy,  just,  and  good  :  the  witness  that 
accuseth  him  of  this  is  God  and  his  conscience  ;  he  is 
also  cast  by  the  verdict  of  holy  men  ;  and  all  this  he 
knows,  and  implicitly  confesses,  even  in  that  he  directs  his 
prayer  unto  his  judge  for  pardon.  And  it  is  one  of  the  ex- 
cellentest  sights  in  the  world,  to  see  or  understand  a  sinner 
thus  honestly  receiving  the  sentence  of  the  law  that  is 
gone  out  against  him  ;  to  see  and  hear  a  Publican  thus 
to  justify  God.  And  this  God  would  have  men  do  for  these 
reasons. 


218 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 


1.  That  it  might  he  conspicuous  to  all  that  the  Puhlican 
has  need  of  mercy.  This  is  for  the  glory  of  the  justice  of 
God,  because  it  vindicates  it  in  its  goings  out  against  the 
Publican.  God  loveth  to  do  things  in  justice  and  right- 
eousness, when  he  goeth  out  against  men,  though  it  be  but 
such  a  going  out  against  them  as  only  tendeth  to  their 
conviction  and  conversion.  When  he  dealt  with  our  father 
Abraham  in  this  matter,  he  called  him  to  his  foot,  as  here  he 
doth  the  Publican.  And,  sinner,  if  God  counts  thee  worthy  to 
inherit  the  throne  of  glory,  he  will  bring  thee  hither.     But, 

2.  The  Publican,  by  the  power  of  conviction,  stoops  to, 
and  falleth  under,  the  righteous  sentence  gone  forth  against 
him,  that  it  might  be  also  manifest,  that  what  afterward  he 
shall  receive  is  of  the  mere  grace  and  sovereign  goodness  of 
God.  And  indeed  there  is  no  way  that  doth  more  naturally 
tend  to  make  this  manifest  than  this.  For  thus  ;  there  is 
a  man  proceeded  against  for  life  by  the  law,  and  the  sen- 
tence of  death  is,  in  conclusion,  most  justly  and  righteously 
passed  upon  him  by  the  judge.  Suppose  now,  that  after 
this,  this  man  lives,  and  is  exalted  to  honour,  enjoys  great 
things,  and  is  put  into  place  of  trust  and  power,  and  that  by 
him  that  he  has  offended,  even  by  him  that  did  pass  the 
sentence  upon  him. 

What  will  all  say,  or  what  will  they  conclude,  even  upon 
the  very  first  hearing  of  this  story  ?  Will  they  not  say, 
Well,  whoever  he  was  that  found  himself  wrapped  up 
in  this  strange  providence,  must  thank  the  mercy  of  a 
gracious  prince  ;  for  all  these  things  bespeak  grace  and 
favour.     But, 

3.  As  the  Publican  falleth  willingly  under  the  sentence, 
and  justifieth  the  passing  of  it  upon  him  ;  so  by  his  flying 
to  mercy  for  help,  he  declareth  to  all  that  he  cannot  deliver 
himself:  he  putteth  help  away  from  himself,  or  saith,  It 
is  not  in  me. 

This,  I  say,  is  another  thing  included  in  this  prayer,  and 
it  is  a  thing  distinct  from  that.  For  it  is  possible  for  a  man 
to  justify,  and  fall  under,  the  sentence  of  the  judge,  and  yet 
retain  that  with  himself  that  will  certainly  deliver  him 


TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  219 

from  that  sentence  when  it  has  done  its  worst.  Many  have 
held  up  their  hand,  and  cried  Guilty,  at  the  bar,  and  yet 
have  fetched  themselves  off  for  all  that  ;  hut  then  they  have 
not  pleaded  mercy  (for  he  that  doth  so,  puts  his  life  alto- 
gether into  the  hands  of  another),  hut  privilege  or  good 
deeds,  either  done  or  to  be  done  by  them.  But  the  Publi- 
can in  our  text  puts  all  out  of  his  own  hand  ;  and  in  effect 
saith  to  that  God  before  whom  he  went  up  into  the  tem- 
ple to  pray,  Lord,  I  stand  here  condemned  at  the  bar  of 
thy  justice,  and  that  worthily,  for  the  sentence  is  good, 
and  hath  in  righteousness  gone  out  against  me  :  nor  can  I 
deliver  myself :  I  heartily  and  freely  confess  I  cannot ; 
wherefore  I  betake  myself  only  to  thy  mercy,  and  do  pray 
thee  to  forgive  the  transgressions  of  me  a  sinner.  0  how 
few  be  there  of  such  kind  of  publicans,  I  mean  of  publicans 
thus  made  sensible,  that  come  unto  God  for  mercy  ! 

Mercy,  with  most,  is  rather  a  compliment,  I  mean  while 
they  plead  it  with  God,  than  a  matter  of  absolute  necessity  ; 
they  have  not  awfully,  and  in  judgment  and  conscience,  fal- 
len under  the  sentence,  nor  put  themselves  out  of  all  plea 
but  the  plea  of  .mercy  ;  indeed,  thus  to  do  is  the  effect  of  the 
proof  of  the  vanity  and  emptiness  of  all  experiments  made 
use  of  before. 

Now,  there  is  a  twofold  proof  of  experiments  ;  the  one  is 
the  result  of  practice,  the  other  is  the  result  of  faith. 

The  woman  with  her  bloody  issue  made  her  proof  by 
practice,  when  she  had  spent  all  that  she  had  upon  physi- 
cians, and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse  ; 
Mark  v.  But  our  Publican  here  proves  the  emptiness  and 
vanity  of  any  other  helps,  by  one  cast  of  faith  upon  the 
contents  of  the  Bible,  and  by  another  look  upon  his  present 
state  of  condemnation  ;  wherefore  he  presently,  without 
any  more  ado,  condemneth  all  other  helps,  ways,  modes,  or 
means  of  deliverance,  and  betakes  himself  only  to  the  mercy 
of  God  :  saying,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

And  herein  he  sheweth  wonderful  wisdom.     For, 

1.  By  this  he  thrusts  himself  under  the  shelter  and 
blessing  of  the  promise ;  and  I  am  sure  it  is  better  and  safer 


220  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

to  do  so,  than  to  rely  upon  the  best  of  excellencies  that  this 
world  can  afford  :  Hos.  xiv.  1-3. 

2.  He  takes  the  ready  way  to  please  God :  for  God 
takes  more  delight  in  shewing  of  mercy  than  in  any  thing 
that  we  can  do  ;  Hos.  vi.  6  ;  Matt.  ix.  13  ;  xii.  7.  Yea, 
and  that  also  is  the  man  that  pleaseth  him,  even  he  that 
hopes  in  his  mercy;  Psalm  cxlvii.  11.  The  Publican, 
therefore,  whatever  the  Pharisee  might  think,  stood  all 
this  while  upon  sure  ground,  and  had  by  far  the  start  of 
him  for  heaven.  Alas  !  his  dull  head  could  look  no  fur- 
ther than  to  the  conceit  of  the  pitiful  beauty  and  splendour 
of  his  own  filthy  righteousness.  Nor  durst  he  leave 
that  to  trust  wholly  to  the  mercy  of  God  ;  but  the  Pub- 
lican comes  out,  though  in  his  sins,  yet  like  an  awakened, 
enlightened,  resolved  man,  and  first  abases  himself,  then 
gives  God  the  glory  of  his  justice,  and  after  that  the  glory 
of  his  mercy,  by  saying,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner ;" 
and  thus  in  the  ears  of  the  angels  he  did  ring  the  changes 
of  heaven.     And, 

3.  The  Publican,  in  his  thus  putting  himself  upon 
mercy,  sheweth,  that  in  his  opinion  there  is  more  virtue 
in  mercy  to  save,  than  there  is  in  the  law  and  sin  to  con- 
demn. And  although  this  is  not  counted  a  great  matter 
to  do,  while  men  are  far  from  the  law,  and  while  their 
conscience  is  asleep  within  them  ;  yet  when  the  law  comes 
near,  and  conscience  is  awake,  who  so  tries  it  will  find  it 
a  laborious  work.  Cain  could  not  do  thus  for  his  heart, 
no,  nor  Saul  f  nor  Judas  either.  This  is  another  kind  of 
thing  than  most  men  think  it  to  be,  or  shall  find  it,  when- 
ever they  shall  behold  God's  angry  face,  and  when  they 
shall  hear  the  words  of  his  law. 

However,  our  Publican  did  it,  and  ventured  his  body, 
soul,  and  future  condition  for  ever  on  this  bottom  with 
other  the  saints  and  servants  of  God,  leaving  the  world  to 
swim  over  the  sea  of  God's  wrath  (if  they  will)  in  their 
weak  and  simple  vessels  of  bulrushes,  or  to  lean  upon  their 
cobweb-hold,  when  he  shall  arise  to  the  judgment  that  he 
hath  appointed. 


THE  PHARISEE  AXD  THE  PUBLICAN.  221 

In  the  mean  time,  pray  God  awaken  us  as  he  did  the 
Publican  ;  pray  God  enlighten  us  as  he  did  the  Publican  ; 
pray  God  grant  us  boldness  to  come  to  him  as  the  Publi- 
can did  ;  and  also  in  that  trembling  spirit  as  he  did,  when 
he  cried  in  the  temple  before  him,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner." 

Thus  having  passed  over  his  prayer,  we  come  in  the  next 
place  to  his  gestures  ;  for  in  my  judgment  the  right  under- 
standing of  them  will  give  us  yet  more  conviction  of  the 
Publican's  sense  and  awakening  of  spirit  under  this  present 
action  of  his. 

And  I  have  observed  many  a  poor  wretch  that  hath 
readily  had  recourse  to  the  Publican's  prayer,  that  never 
knew  what  the  Publican's  gestures,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
while  in  prayer  before  him,  did  mean.  Nor  must  any  man 
be  admitted  to  think,  that  those  gestures  of  his  w-  re  a  cus- 
tom, and  a  formality  among  the  Jews  in  those  days  ;  for 
it  is  evident  enough  by  the  carriage  of  the  Pharisee,  that  it 
was  below  them  and  their  mode,  when  they  came  into  the 
temple,  or  when  they  prayed  any  where  else  ;  and' they 
in  those  days  were  counted  for  the  best  of  men  ;  and 
in  religious  matters  men  were  to  imitate  and  take  their 
examples  at  the  hands  of  the  best,  not  at  the  hands  of  the 
worst. 

The  Publican's  gestures  then  were  properly  his  own  ; 
caused  by  the  guilt  of  sin,  and  by  that  dread  of  the  ma- 
jesty of  God  that  was  upon  his  spirit.  And  a  comely 
posture  it  was,  else  Christ  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  would 
never  have  taken  that  particular  notice  thereof  as  he  did, 
nor  have  smiled  upon  it  so  much  as  to  take,  and  distinctly 
repeat  it,  as  that  which  made  his  prayer  the  more  weighty, 
also  to  be  taken  notice  of.  Yea,  in  my  opinion,  the  Lord 
Jesus  committed  it  to  record,  for  that  he  liked  it,  and  for 
that  it  will  pass  for  some  kind  of  touchstone  of  prayer  that 
is  made  in  good  sense  of  sin  and  of  God,  and  of  need  of  his 
goodness  and  mercy.  For  verily,  all  these  postures  signify 
sense,  sight  of  a  lost  condition,  and  a  heart  in  good  earnest 
for  mercv. 


222  THE  PHAKISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

I  know  that  they  may  be  counterfeited,  and  Christ  Jesus 
knows  who  doth  so  too  ;  but  that  will  not  hinder,  or  make 
weak  or  invalid  what  hath  already  been  spoken  about  it. 
But  to  forbear  to  make  a  further  prologue,  and  to  come  to 
the  handling  of  particulars  : 

"  And  the  Publican  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift 
up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his 
breast,"  &c. 

Three  things,  as  I  told  you  already,  we  may  perceive  in 
these  words,  by  which  his  publican  posture  or  gestures  are 
set  forth. 

1.  He  stands  "  afar  off." 

2.  He  "  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven." 

3.  He  "  smote  upon  his  breast,"  &c. 

For  the  first  of  these,  He  stood  afar  off.  "  And  the 
Publican  standing  afar  off."  This  is,  I  say,  the  first  thing, 
the  first  posture  of  his  with  which  we  are  accmainted,  and 
it  informeth  us  of  several  things. 

First,  That  he  came  not  with  senselessness  of  the  ma- 
jesty of  God  when  he  came  to  pray,  as  the  Pharisee  did, 
and  as  sinners  commonly  do.  For  this  standing  back,  or 
afar  off,  declares,  that  the  majesty  of  God  had  an  awe  upon 
his  spirit ;  he  saw  whither,  to  whom,  and  for  what,  he  was 
now  approaching  the  temple.  It  is  said  in  the  20th  of 
Exodus,  that  when  the  people  saw  the  thunderings  and 
lightnings,  and  the  noise  of  the  trumpet,  and  the  mountain 
smoking  (and  all  these  were  signs  of  God's  terrible  presence 
and  dreadful  majesty),  they  removed  themselves,  and  "  stood 
afar  off;"  Exod.  xx.  18.  This  behaviour,  therefore,  of  the 
Publican  did  well  become  his  present  action,  especially  since, 
in  his  own  eyes,  he  was  yet  an  unforgiven  sinner.  Alas  ! 
what  is  God's  majesty  to  a  sinful  man  but  a  consuming 
fire  1  And  what  is  a  sinful  man  in  himself,  or  in  his  ap- 
proach to  God,  but  as  stubble  fully  dvy  i 

How  then  could  the  Publican  do  otherwise  (than  what 
he  did)  than  stand  afar  off,  if  he  either  thought  of  God  or 
himself  ?  Indeed  the  people  afore  named,  before  they  saw 
God  in  his  terrible  majesty,  could  scarcely  be  kept  off  from 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  223 

the  mount  with  words  and  bounds,  as  it  is  now  the  case  of 
many  :  their  blindness  gives  them  boldness  ;  their  rudeness 
gives  them  confidence  ;  but  when  they  shall  see  what  the 
Publican  saw,  and  felt,  and  understood,  as  he,  they  will 
pray  and  stand  afar  off,  even  as  these  people  did.  They  re- 
moved and  stood  afar  off,  and  then  fell  to  praying  of  Moses, 
that  this  dreadful  sight  and  sound  might  be  taken  from 
them.  And  what  if  I  should  say,  he  stood  afar  off  for  fear 
of  a  blow,  though  he  came  for  mercy,  as  it  is  said  of  them, 
"  They  stood  afar  off  for  fear  of  her  torments;"  Rev.  xviii. 
10,  18. 

I  know  what  it  is  to  go  to  God  for  mercy,  and  stand  all 
that  while  through  fear  afar  off ;  being  possessed  with  this, 
will  not  God  now  smite  me  at  once  to  the  ground  for  my 
sins  ?  David  thought  something  when  he  said  as  he  prayed, 
"  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence  ;  and  take  not  thy 
Holy  Spirit  from  me  ;"  Psalm  li.  11. 

There  is  none  knows,  but  those  that  have  them,  what 
turns  and  returns,  what  coming  on  and  going  off,  there  is  in 
the  spirit  of  a  man  that  indeed  is  awakened,  and  that  stands 
awakened  before  the  glorious  Majesty  in  prayer.  The  pro- 
digal also  made  his  prayer  to  his  Father  intentionally,  while 
he  was  yet  a  great  way  off.  And  so  did  the  lepers  too  : 
"  And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  village  there  met  him  ten 
men  that  were  lepers,  which  stood  afar  off :  and  they  lifted 
up  their  voices  and  said,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us ;" 
Luke  xvii.  12,  13. 

See  here,  it  has  been  the  custom  of  praying  men  to 
keep  their  distance,  and  not  to  be  rudely  bold  in  rushing 
into  the  presence  of  the  holy  and  heavenly  Majesty,  espe- 
cially if  they  have  been  sensible  of  their  own  vileness  and 
sins,  as  the  prodigal,  the  lepers,  and  our  poor  Publican 
was.  Yea,  Peter  himself,  when  upon  a  time  he  perceived 
more  than  commonly  he  did  of  the  majesty  of  Jesus  his 
Lord,  what  doth  he  do  ?  "  When  Simon  Peter  saw  it 
(says  the  text),  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  saying,  De- 
part from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord  ;"  Luke  v. 
3-8.     Oh  !  when  men  see  God  and  themselves,  it  fills  them 


224  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

with  holy  fear  of  the  greatness  of  the  majesty  of  God,  as 
well  as  with  love  to,  and  desire  after,  his  mercy. 

Besides,  by  his  standing  afar  off,  it  might  he  to  intimate 
that  he  now  had  in  mind,  and  with  great  weight  upon  his 
conscience,  the  infinite  distance  that  was  betwixt  God  and 
him.  Men  should  know  that,  and  tremble  in  the  thoughts 
of  it,  when  they  are  about  to  approach  the  omnipotent 
imfs'mce. 

AVhat  is  poor  sorry  man,  poor  dust  and  ashes,  that  he 
should  crowd  it  up,  and  go  jostlingly  into  the  presence  of 
the  great  God — especially  since  it  is  apparent  the  dispro- 
portion that  is  betwixt  God  and  him  1  Esther,  when  she 
went  to  Supplicate  the  king  her  husband  for  her  people, 
made  use  neither  of  her  beauty  nor  relation,  nor  the  pri- 
vileges of  which  she  might  have  had  temptation  to  make 
use  of,  especially  at  such  a  time,  and  in  such  exigencies,  as 
then  did  compass  her  about  ;  but,  I  say,  she  made  not  use 
of  them  to  thrust  herself  into  his  presence,  but  knew,  and 
kept  her  distance,  standing  in  the  inward  court  of  his 
palace  until  he  held  out  the  golden  sceptre  to  her  ;  then 
Esther  drew  near,  and  touched  the  top  thereof;  Esth. 
v.  1,  2. 

Men,  also,  when  they  come  into  the  presence  of  God, 
should  know  their  distance  ;  yea,  and  shew  that  they  know 
it  too,  by  such  gestures,  and  carriages,  and  behaviour,  that 
are  seemly.  A  remarkable  saying  is  that  of  Solomon, 
"  Keep  thy  foot,"  saith  he,  "  when  thou  goest  into  the  house 
of  God,  and  be  more  ready  to  hear  than  to  give  the  sacri- 
fice of  fools  ;  for  they  consider  not  that  they  do  evil/'  And 
as  they  should  keep  their  foot,  so  also  he  adds,  "  Be  not 
rash  with  thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thine  heart  be  hasty  to 
utter  any  thing  before  God  ;  for  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou 
upon  earth,  therefore  let  thy  words  be  few  ;"  Eccles.  v.  1,  2. 

Three  things  the  Holy  Ghost  exhorteth  to  in  this  text. 

The  one  is,  That  we  look  to  our  feet,  and  not  be  forward 
to  crowd  into  God's  presence. 

Another  is,  That  we  should  also  look  well  to  our  tongues, 
that  they  be  not  rash  in  uttering  any  thing  before  God. 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  225 

And  the  third  is,  Because  of  the  infinite  distance  that  is 
betwixt  God  and  us,  which  is  intimated  by  these  words, 
"  For  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon  earth." 

The  Publican  therefore  shewed  great  wisdom,  holy  shame, 
and  humility,  in  this  brave  gesture  of  his,  namely,  in  his 
standing  afar  off  when  he  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray. 
But  this  is  not  all. 

Secondly,  The  Publican,  in  standing  afar  off,  left  room 
for  an  Advocate  and  High-priest,  a  Day's-man,  to  come 
betwixt,  to  make  peace  between  God  and  his  poor  crea- 
ture. Moses,  the  great  mediator  of  the  Old  Testament,  was 
to  go  nigher  to  God  than  the  rest  of  the  elders,  or  those  of 
the  people  ;  Exod.  xx.  21.  Yea,  the  rest  of  the  people  were 
expressly  commanded  to  worship,  "  standing  afar  off." 
No  man  of  the  sons  of  Aaron  that  had  a  blemish  was  to 
come  nigh.  "  No  man  that  hath  a  blemish  of  the  seed 
of  Aaron  the  priest  shall  come  nigh  to  offer  the  offerings 
of  the  Lord  made  by  fire.  He  shall  not  come  nigh  to 
offer  the  bread  of  his  God  ;"  Lev.  xxi.  21. 

The  Publican  durst  not  be  his  own  mediator  ;  he  knew 
he  had  a  blemish,  and  was  infirm,  and  therefore  he  stands 
back  ;  for  he  knew  that  it  was  none  of  him  that  his  God 
had  chosen  to  come  near  unto  him,  to  offer  "  the  fat  and 
the  blood  ;"  Ezek.  xliv.  13-15.  The  Publican,  therefore, 
was  thus  far  right ;  he  took  not  up  the  room  himself,  neither 
with  his  person  nor  his  performances,  but  stood  back, 
and  gave  place  to  the  High-priest  that  wTas  to  be  inter- 
cessor. 

We  read,  that  when  Zacharias  went  into  the  temple  to 
burn  incense,  as  at  the  time  his  lot  was,  "The  whole  multi- 
tude of  the  people  were  praying  without  ;"  Luke  i.  9,  10. 
They  left  him  where  he  was,  near  to  God,  between  God  and 
them,  mediating  for  them  ;  for  the  offering  of  incense  by 
the  chief-priest  was  a  figurative  making  of  intercession  for 
the  people,  and  they  maintained  their  distance. 

It  is  a  great  matter  in  praying  to  God,  not  to  go  too  far,  nor 
come  too  short,  in  that  duty,  I  mean  in  the  duty  of  prayer ; 
and  a  man  is  very  apt  to  do  one  or  the  other.     The  Pharisee 


226  THE  PIIAKISEE  AND  TTIE  PUBLICAN. 

went  so  far  ;  he  was  too  bold  ;  he  came  into  the  temple 
making  such  a  ruffle  with  his  own  excellencies,  that  there 
was  in  his  thoughts  no  need  of  a  Mediator.  He  also  went 
up  so  nigh  to  God,  that  he  took  up  the  room  and  place  of 
the  Mediator  himself ;  but  this  poor  Publican,  he  knows 
his  distance,  and  keeps  it,  and  leaves  room  for  the  High- 
priest  to  come  and  intercede  for  him  with  God.  He  stood 
afar  off :  not  too  far  off ;  for  that  is  the  room  and  place  of 
unbelievers  ;  and  in  that  sense  this  saying  is  true,  "  For, 
lo,  they  that  are  far  from  thee  shall  perish  ;"  Psalm  lxxiii. 
27  ;  that  is,  they  whose  unbelief  hath  set  their  hearts  and 
affections  more  upon  their  idols,  and  that  have  been  made 
to  cast  God  behind  their  backs,  to  follow  and  go  a-whoring 
after  them. 

Hitherto,  therefore,  it  appears,  that  though  the  Pharisee 
had  more  righteousness  than  the  Publican,  yet  the  Publican 
had  more  spiritual  righteousness  than  the  Pharisee  ;  and 
that  though  the  Publican  had  a  baser  and  more  ugly  out- 
side than  the  Pharisee,  yet  the  Publican  knew  how  to 
prevail  with  God  for  mercy  better  than  he. 

As  for  the  Publican's  posture  of  standing  in  prayer,  it  is 
excusable,  and  that  by  the  very  Father  of  the  faithful 
himself :  for  Abraham  stood  praying  when  he  made  inter- 
cession for  Sodom  ;  Gen.  xviii.  22,  23.  Christ  also  alloweth 
it,  where  he  saith,  "  And  when  ye  stand  praying,  forgive, 
if  ye  have  ought  against  any  ;  that  your  Father  also  which 
is  in  heaven  may  forgive  you  your  trespasses ;"  Mark  xi.  25. 
Indeed  there  is  no  stinted  order  prescribed  for  our  thus 
behaving  of  ourselves  in  prayer,  whether  kneeling,  or  stand- 
ing, or  walking,  or  lying,  or  sitting  ;  for  all  these  postures 
have  been  used  by  the  godly.  Paul  "  kneeled  down  and 
prayed  ;"  Acts  xx.  36.  Abraham  and  the  Publican  stood 
and  prayed.  David  prayed  as  he  walked  ;  2  Sam.  xv.  30, 
31.  Abraham  prayed  lying  upon  his  face  ;  Gen.  xvii.  17,  18. 
Moses  prayed  sitting  ;  Exod.  xvii.  12.  And  indeed  prayer, 
effectual  fervent  prayer,  may  be,  and  often  is,  made  unto 
God  under  all  these  circumstances  of  behaviour :  for  God 
has  not  tied  us  up  to  any  of  them ;  and  he  that  shall  tie 


THE   PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  227 

himself,  or  his  people,  to  any  of  these,  doth  more  than  he 
hath  warrant  for  from  God  :  and  let  such  take  care  of 
innovating  ;  it  is  the  next  way  to  make  men  hypocrites 
and  dissemblers  in  those  duties  in  which  they  should  be 
sincere. 

True,  which  of  those  soever  a  man  shall  choose  to  him- 
self for  the  present,  to  perform  this  solemn  duty  in,  it  is 
required  of  him,  and  Gods  expects  it,  that  he  should  pray 
to  him  in  truth,  and  with  desire,  affection,  and  hunger, 
after  those  things  that  with  his  tongue  he  maketh  men- 
tion of  before  the  throne  of  God.  And  indeed  without 
this,  all  is  nothing.  But  alas  !  how  few  be  there  in  the 
world  whose  heart  and  mouth  in  prayer  shall  go  together  ? 
Dost  thou,  when  thou  askest  for  the  Spirit,  or  faith,  or 
love  to  God,  to  holiness,  to  saints,  to  the  word,  and  the 
like,  ask  for  them  with  love  to  them,  desire  of  them, 
hungering  after  them  1  Oh  !  this  is  a  mighty  thing  !  and 
yet  prayer  is  no  more  before  God,  than  as  it  is  seasoned 
with  these  blessed  qualifications.  "Wherefore  it  is  said,  that 
while  men  are  praying,  God  is  searching  of  the  heart,  to 
see  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  Spirit  (or  whether  there  be 
the  Spirit  and  his  meaning  in  all  that  the  mouth  hath  ut- 
tered, either  by  words,  sighs,  or  groans),  because  it  is  by 
him,  and  through  his  help  only,  that  any  make  prayers 
according  to  the  will  of  God ;  Rom.  viii.  26,  27.  Whatever 
thy  posture  therefore  shall  be,  see  that  thy  prayers  be  per- 
tinent and  fervent,  not  mocking  of  thine  own  soul  with 
words,  while  thou  wantest,  and  art  an  utter  stranger  to,  the 
very  vital  and  living  spirit  of  prayer. 

Now,  our  Publican  had  and  did  exercise  the  very  spirit 
of  prayer  in  prayer.  He  prayed  sensibly,  seriously,  affec- 
tionately, hungering,  thirsting,  and  with  longing  after  that 
for  which  with  his  mouth  he  implored  the  God  of  heaven  ; 
his  heart  and  soul  was  in  his  words,  and  it  was  that  which 
made  his  prayer  prayer  ;  even  because  he  prayed  in 
prayer  ;  he  prayed  inwardly  as  well  as  outwardly. 

David  tells  us,  that  God  heard  the  voice  of  his  supplica- 
tion, the  voice  of  his  cry,  the  voice  of  his  tears,  and  the 


228  TUE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

voice  of  his  roaring.  For  indeed  are  all  these  acceptable, 
Affection  and  fervent  desire  make  them  sound  well  in  the 
cars  of  God.  Tears,  supplications,  prayers,  cries,  may  be 
all  of  them  done  in  formality,  hypocrisy,  and  from  other 
causes,  and  to  other  ends,  than  that  which  is  honest  and 
right  in  God's  sight :  for  God  would  search  and  look  aftei 
the  voice  of  his  tears,  supplications,  roarings,  prayers,  and 
cries. 

And  if  men  had  less  care  to  please  men,  and  more  to 
please  God,  in  the  matter  and  manner  of  praying,  the  world 
would  be  at  a  better  pass  than  it  is.  But  this  is  not  in 
man's  power  to  help  and  to  amend.  When  the  Holy  Ghost 
comes  upon  men  with  great  conviction  of  their  state  and 
condition,  and  of  the  use  and  excellency  of  the  grace  of 
sincerity  and  humility  in  prayer,  then,  and  not  till  then, 
will  the  grace  of  prayer  be  more  prized,  and  the  specious, 
flounting,  complimentary  lips  of  flatterers,  be  more  laid 
aside.  I  have  said  it  already,  and  will  say  it  again,  that 
there  is  now-a-days  a  great  deal  of  wickedness  committed 
in  the  very  duty  of  prayer  ;  by  words  of  which  men  have 
no  sense  by  reaching  after  such  conclusion  and  clenshes 
therein,  as  make  their  persons  be  admired  ;  by  studying  for, 
and  labouring  after,  such  enlargements  as  the  spirit  accom- 
panieth  not  the  heart  in.  0  Lord  God,  make  our  hearts 
upright  in  us,  as  in  all  points  and  parts  of  our  profession, 
so  in  this  solemn  appointment  of  God  !  "  If  I  regard  ini- 
quity in  my  heart,"  said  David,  "  the  Lord  will  not  hear 
my  prayer."  But  if  I  be  truly  sincere,  he  will ;  and  then 
it  is  no  matter  whether  I  kneel,  or  stand,  or  sit,  or  lie,  or 
walk  ;  for  I  shall  do  none  of  these,  nor  put  up  my  prayers 
under  any  of  these  circumstances,  lightly,  foolishly,  and 
idly,  but  to  beautify  this  gesture  with  the  inward  working 
of  my  mind  and  spirit  in  prayer;  that  whether  1  stand  or 
sit,  walk  or  lie  down,  grace  and  gravity,  humility  and  sin- 
cerity, shall  make  my  prayer  profitable,  and  my  outward 
behaviour  comely  in  his  eyes,  with  whom  (in  prayer)  I 
now  have  to  do. 

And  had  not  our  Publican  been  inwardly  seasoned  with 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  TUE  PUBLICAN.  229 

these,  Christ  would  have  taken  but  little  pleasure  in  his 
modes  and  outward  behaviour:  hut  heing  so  honest  in- 
wardly, and  in  the  matter  of  his  prayer,  his  gestures  by 
that  were  made  beauteous  also ;  and  therefore  it  is  that  our 
Lord  so  delightfully  delateth  upon  them,  and  draweth  them 
out  at  length  before  the  eyes  of  others. 

I  have  often  observed,  that  which  is  natural  and  so 
comely  in  one,  looks  odiously  when  imitated  by  another. 
I  speak  as  to  gestures  and  actions  in  preaching  and  prayer. 
Many,  I  doubt  not,  but  will  imitate  the  Publican,  and 
that  both  in  the  prayer  and  gestures  of  the  Publican, 
whose  persons  and  actions  will  yet  stink  in  the  nostrils  of 
him  that  is  holy  and  just,  and  that  searcheth  the  heart  and 
the  reins. 

Well,  the  Publican  stood  and  prayed  ;  he  stood  afar 
off,  and  prayed,  and  his  prayers  came  even  to  the  ears  of 
God. 

"  And  the  Publican  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up 
so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven,"  &c. 

We  are  now  come  to  another  of  his  postures.  He  would 
not,  says  the  text,  so  much  as  lift  up  his  eyes  to  heaven. 
Here,  therefore,  was  another  gesture  added  to  that  which 
went  before  ;  and  a  gesture  that  a  great  while  before  had 
been  condemned  by  the  Holy  Ghost  himself.  "  Is  it  such 
a  fast  that  I  have  chosen,  a  day  for  a  man  to  afflict  his 
soul  ?  Is  it  to  bow  down  his  head  as  a  bulrush  V  Isa. 
lviii.  5. 

But  why  condemned  then,  and  smiled  upon  now  1  Why  ? 
Because  done  in  hypocrisy  then,  and  in  sincerity  now. 
Hypocrisy,  and  a  spirit  of  error,  that  he  shall  take  no  plea- 
sure in  them  ;  but  sincerity,  and  honesty  in  duties,  will  make 
even  them  comely  in  the  sight  of  men — may  I  not  say  be- 
fore God  1  The  Rechabites  were  not  commanded  of  God, 
but  of  their  father,  to  do  as  they  did  ;  but,  because  they 
were  sincere  in  their  obedience  thereto,  even  God  himself 
maketh  use  of  what  they  did,  to  condemn  the  disobedience 
of  the  Jews ;  and,  moreover,  doth  tell  the  Rechabites  at  last, 
that  they  should  not  want  a  man  to  stand  before  him  for 


230  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

ever.  "  And  Jeremiah  said  unto  the  house  of  the  Rechab- 
ites,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  be- 
cause ye  have  obeyed  the  commandment  of  Jonadab  your 
father,  and  kept  ail  his  precepts,  and  done  according  unto 
all  that  he  hath  commanded  you  ;  therefore,  thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab, 
shall  not  want  a  man  to  stand  before  me  for  ever." 

He  would  not  lift  up  his  eyes  to  heaven.  Why  1  Surely 
because  shame  had  covered  his  face.  Shame  will  make  a 
man  blush  and  hang  his  head  like  a  bulrush  ;  shame  for 
sin  is  a  virtue,  a  comely  thing  ;  yea,  a  beauty-spot  in  the 
face  of  a  sinner  that  cometh  to  God  for  mercy. 

God  complains  of  the  house  of  Israel,  that  they  could  sin, 
and  that  without  shame  ;  yea,  and  threateneth  them  too 
with  sore  repeated  judgments,  because  they  were  not 
ashamed  ;  it  is  in  Jer.  viii.  Their  crimes  in  general  were, 
they  turned  every  one  to  his  course,  as  the  horse  runneth 
into  the  battle.  In  particular,  they  were  such  as  rejected 
God's  word  ;  they  loved  this  world,  and  set  themselves 
against  the  prophets,  crying,  "  Peace,  peace,"  when  they 
cried,  "  Judgment,  judgment !"  And  were  not  ashamed 
when  they  had  committed  abomination  ;  "  Nay,  they  were 
not  at  all  ashamed,  neither  could  they  blush  ;  therefore  shall 
they  fall  among  them  that  fall :  in  the  time  of  their  visita- 
tion they  shall  be  cast  down,  saith  the  Lord  ;"  ver.  12.  Oh ! 
to  stand,  or  sit,  or  lie,  or  kneel,  or  walk  before  God  in  prayer, 
with  blushing  cheeks  for  sin,  is  one  of  the  most  excellent 
sights  that  can  be  seen  in  the  world. 

Wherefore  the  church  taketh  some  kind  of  heart  to  her- 
self in  that  she  could  lie  down  in  her  shame  ;  yea,  and  makes 
that  a  kind  of  an  argument  with  God  to  prove  that  her 
prayers  did  come  from  her  heart,  and  also  that  he  would 
hear  them  ;  Jer.  iii.  22-25. 

Shame  for  sin  argueth  sense  of  sin,  yea,  a  right  sense 
of  sin,  a  godly  sense  of  sin.  Ephraim  pleads  this  when 
under  the  hand  of  God  :  I  was  (saith  he)  "  ashamed, 
yea,  even  confounded,  because  I  did  bear  the  reproach  of 
my  youth."     But  what  follows  1     "  Is  Ephraim  my  dear 


THE   PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUP.LICAN.  2-'U 

son  1  is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?  for  since  I  spake  against  him, 
I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still:  therefore  my  bowels 
are  troubled  for  him. :  I  will  surely  have  mercy  upon  him, 
saiththe  Lord;"  Jer.  xxxi.  19,  20. 

I  know  that  there  is  a  shame  that  is  not  the  spirit  of  an 
honest  heart,  hut  that  rather  floweth  from  sudden  surprisal, 
when  the  sinner  is  unawares  taken  in  the  act — in  the  very 
manner.  And  thus  sometimes  the  house  of  Israel  were 
taken  :  and  then,  when  they  blushed,  their  shame  is  com- 
pared to  the  shame  of  a  thief.  "  As  the  thief  is  ashamed 
when  he  is  found,  so  is  the  house  of  Israel  ashamed ;  they, 
their  kings,  their  princes,  and  their  priests,  and  their 
prophets." 

But  where  were  they  taken,  or  about  what  were  they 
found  ?  Why,  they  were  found  "  saying  to  a  stock,  Thou 
art  my  father,  and  to  a  stone,  thou  hast  brought  me  forth." 
God  catched  them  thus  doing ;  and  this  made  them  ashamed, 
even  as  the  thief  is  ashamed  when  the  owner  doth  catch 
him  stealing  his  horse. 

But  this  was  not  the  Publican's  shame.  This  shame 
brings  not  a  man  into  the  temple  to  pray,  to  stand  will- 
ingly, and  to  take  shame  before  God  in  prayer.  This 
shame  makes  one  rather  to  fly  from  his  face,  and  to  count 
one's  self  most  at  ease  when  farthest  off  from  God  ;  Jer. 
ii.  26,  27. 

The  Publican's  shame,  therefore,  which  he  demonstrated 
by  hanging  down  his  head,  was  godly  and  holy,  and 
much  like  that  of  the  prodigal,  when  he  said,  "  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  iii  thy  sight,  and  am  no 
more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son;"  Luke  xv.  21.  I  sup- 
pose that  his  postures  were  much  the  same  with  the  Pub- 
lican's, as  were  his  prayers,  for  the  substance  of  them.  0 
however  grace  did  work  in  both  to  the  same  end !  they  were 
both  of  them,  after  a  godly  manner,  ashamed  of  their  sins. 

"  He  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven." 

He  could  not,  he  would  not :  which  yet  more  fully  makes 
it  appear,  that  it  was  shame,  not  guilt  only,  or  chiefly, 
though  it  is  manifest  enough  that  he  had  guilt ;  by  hia 


232  THE  PHARISEE  AND  TIIE  PUBLICAN. 

crying,  "  God  bo  merciful  to  me  a  dime?."  I  say,  guilt 
was  not  the  chief  cause  of  hanging  down  his  head,  because 
it  saith,  he  would  not ;  for  when  guilt  is  the  cause  of  stoop- 
ing, it  lieth  not  in  the  will,  or  in  the  power  thereof,  to  help 
one  up. 

David  tells  us,  that  when  he  was  under  guilt,  his  ini- 
quities were  gone  over  his  head  :  as  an  heavy  burden, 
they  were  too  heavy  for  him  ;  and  that  with  them  he  was 
bowed  down  greatly.  Or,  as  he  says  in  another  place, 
"  Mine  iniquities  have  taken  hold  upon  me,  so  that  I  am 
not  able  to  look  up  ;"  Psalm  xxxviii.  ;  xl.  I  am  not  able 
to  do  it  :  guilt  disableth  the  understanding  and  conscience  ; 
shame  makes  all  willingly  fall  at  the  feet  of  Christ. 

He  would  not.  He  knew  what  he  was,  what  he  had 
been,  and  should  be,  if  God  had  not  mercy  upon  him  ; 
yea,  he  knew  also  that  God  knew  what  he  was,  had  been, 
and  would  be,  if  mercy  prevented  not ;  wherefore,  thought 
he,  Wherefore  should  I  lift  up  the  head  1  I  am  no  right- 
eous man,  no  godly  man,  I  have  not  served  God,  but  Satan  ; 
this  I  know,  this  God  knows,  this  angels  know,  wherefore 
I  will  not  lift  up  the  head.  It  is  as  much  as  to  say,  I  will 
not  be  an  hypocrite,  like  the  Pharisee  :  for  lifting  up  of  the 
head  signifies  innocency  and  harmlessness  of  life,  or  good 
conscience,  and  the  testimony  thereof,  under  and  in  the 
midst  of  all  accusations.  Wherefore  this  was  the  counsel 
of  Zophar  to  Job — "  If, "  saith  he,  "  thou  prepare  thine 
heart,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  towards  him ;  if  iniquity 
be  in  thine  hand,  put  it  far  away,  and  let  not  wickedness 
dwell  in  thy  tabernacles.  For  then  shalt  thou  lift  up  thy 
face  without  spot ;  yea,  thou  shalt  be  steadfast,  and  shalt  not 
fear;"  Job  xi.  13-15. 

This  was  not  the  Publican's  state  :  he  had  lived  in  lewd- 
ness and  villany  all  his  days  ;  nor  had  he  prepared  his  heart 
to  seek  the  Lord  God  of  his  fathers  ;  he  had  not  cleansed 
his  heart  nor  hands  from  violence,  nor  done  that  which  was 
lawful  and  right.  He  only  had  been  convinced  of  his  evil 
ways,  and  was  come  into  the  temple  as  he  was,  all  foul,  and 
in  his  filthy  garments,  and  amidst  his  pollutions ;  how  then 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  233 

could  lie  be  innocent,  holy,  or  without  spot  1  and,  conse- 
quently, how  could  he  lift  up  his  face  to  God  1  I  remem- 
ber what  Abner  said  to  Asahel,  "  Turn  thee  aside  (said  he) 
from  following  me,  wherefore  should  I  smite  thee  to  the 
ground  1  how  then  should  I  hold  up  my  face  to  Joab,  thy 
brother  ?"  2  Sam.  ii.  22. 

As  if  he  had  said,  If  I  kill  thee,  I  shall  blush,  be  ashamed, 
and  hang  my  head  like  a  bulrush  the  next  time  I  come  into 
the  company  of  thy  brother. 

This  was  the  Publican's  case  :  he  was  guilty,  he  had 
sinned,  he  had  committed  a  trespass  ;  and  now  being  come 
into  the  temple,  into  the  presence  of  that  God  whose  laws 
he  had  broken,  and  against  whom  he  had  sinned,  how 
could  he  lift  up  his  head  ?  how  could  he  do  it  ?  No,  it  bet- 
ter became  him  to  take  his  shame,  and  to  hang  his  head  in 
token  of  guilt ;  and  indeed  he  did,  and  did  it  to  purpose 
too,  for  he  would  not  lift  up,  no  not  so  much  as  his  eyes  to 
heaven. 

True,  some  would  have  done  it ;  the  Pharisee  did  it  ; 
though  if  he  had  considered  that  hypocrisy  and  the  lean- 
ing to  his  own  righteousness  had  been  a  sin,  he  would 
have  found  as  little  cause  to  have  done  it  as  did  the  Pub- 
lican himself.  But,  I  say  he  did  it,  and  sped  therein  ; 
he  went  down  to  his  house,  as  he  came  up  into  the  temple, 
a  poor  unjustified  Pharisee,  wdiose  person  and  prayer  were 
both  rejected ;  because,  like  the  whore  of  whom  we  read  in 
the  Proverbs,  after  he  had  practised  all  manner  of  hypo- 
crisy, he  comes  into  the  temple  and  wipes  his  mouth,  and 
saith,  "  I  have  done  no  wickedness ;"  Prov.  xxx.  20.  lie 
lifts  up  his  head,  his  face,  his  eyes,  to  heaven  ;  he  struts, 
he  vaunts  himself ;  he  swaggers,  he  vapours,  and  cries  up 
himself,  saying,  "  God  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are." 

True,  had  he  come  and  stood  before  a  stock  or  stone,  he 
might  have  said  thus,  and  not  have  been  reprehended  ;  for 
such  are  gods  that  see  not,  nor  hear,  neither  do  they  under- 
stand. But  to  come  before  the  true  God,  the  living  God, 
the  God  that  fills  heaven  and  earth  by  his  presence,  and 


234  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLTCAN. 

that  knows  the  things  that  come  into  the  mind  of  man, 
even  every  one  of  them ;  I  say,  to  come  into  his  house,  to 
stand  before  him,  and  thus  to  lift  up  his  head  and  eyes 
in  such  hypocrisy  before  him,  this  was  abominable,  this 
was  to  tempt  God,  and  to  prove  him,  yea,  to  challenge 
him  to  know  what  was  in  man,  if  he  could,  even  as  those 
who  said,  "  How  doth  God  (see)  know  ?  can  he  judge 
through  the  dark  cloud  1"  Job  xxii.  13;  Psalm  lxxiii.  11. 

But  the  Publican — no — he  would  not  do  this ;  he  would 
not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven.  As  who  should 
say,  0  Lord,  I  have  been  against  thee  a  traitor  and  a  rebel, 
and  like  a  traitor  and  a  rebel  before  thee  will  I  stand.  I 
will  bear  my  shame  before  thee  in  the  presence  of  the  holy 
angels  ;  yea,  I  will  prevent  thy  judging  of  me  by  judging 
myself  in  thy  sight,  and  will  stand  as  condemned  before 
thee  before  thou  passest  sentence  upon  me. 

This  is  now  for  a  sinner  to  go  to  the  end  of  things. 
For  what  is  God's  design  in  the  work  of  conviction  for 
sin,  and  in  his  awakening  of  the  conscience  about  it  1  What 
is  his  end,  I  say,  but  to  make  the  sinner  sensible  of  what 
he  hath  done,  and  that  he  might  unfeignedly  judge  himself 
for  the  same.  Now  this  our  Publican  doth  ;  his  will  there- 
fore is  now  subjected  to  the  word  of  God,  and  he  justifies 
him  in  all  his  ways  and  works  towards  him.  Blessed  be 
God  for  any  experience  of  these  things. 

"  He  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven.'" 
He  knew  by  his  deeds  and  deservings  that  he  had  no  por- 
tion there  ;  nor  would  he  divert  his  mind  from  the  remem- 
bering, and  from  being  affected  with  the  evil  of  his  ways. 

Some  men,  when  they  are  under  the  guilt  and  convic- 
tion of  their  evil  life,  will  do  what  they  can  to  look  any 
way,  and  that  on  purpose  to  divert  their  minds,  and  to  call 
them  off  from  thinking  on  what  they  have  done  ;  and  by 
their  thus  doing,  they  bring  many  evils  more  upon  their 
souls  ;  for  this  is  a  kind  of  striving  with  God,  and  a  shew- 
ing a  dislike  to  his  ways.  Would  not  you  think,  if  when 
you  are  shewing  your  son  or  your  servant  his  faults,  if  he 
should  do  what  he  could  to  divert  and  take  off  his  mind 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PT7BLISAH.  235 

from  what  you  are  saying,  that  he  striveth  against  you, 
and  sheweth  dislike  of  your  doings  ?  What  else  mean  the 
complaints  of  masters  and  of  fathers  in  this  matter  ?  "  I 
have  a  servant,  I  have  a  son,  that  doth  contrary  to  my 
will."  "  0  hut  why  do  you  not  chide  them  for  it  ?"  The 
answer  is,  "  So  I  do  ;  but  they  do  not  regard  my  words  ; 
they  do  what  they  can,  even  while  I  am  speaking,  to  divert 
their  minds  from  my  words  and  counsels."  Why,  all  men 
will  cry  out,  "  This  is  base  ;  this  is  worthy  of  great  rebuke  ; 
such  a  son,  such  a  servant,  deserveth  to  be  shut  out  of  doors, 
and  so 
ship." 

But  the  Publican  would  not  divert  his  mind  from  what 
at  present  God  was  about  to  make  him  sensible  of,  no,  not 
by  a  look  on  the  choicest  object ;  he  would  not  lift  up  so 
much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven.  They  are  but  bad  scholars 
whose  eyes,  when  their  master  is  teaching  of  them,  are 
wandering  off  their  books. 

God  saith  unto  men,  when  he  is  teaching  them  to  know 
the  evil  of  their  ways,  as  the  angel  said  to  the  prophet 
when  he  came  to  shew  him  the  pattern  of  the  temple, 
"  Son  of  man,"  says  lie,  "  behold  with  thine  eyes,  and  hear 
with  thine  ears,  and  set  thine  heart  upon  all  that  I  shall  shew 
thee  ;  for  to  the  intent  that  I  might  shew  them  unto  thee 
art  thou  brought  hither  ;"  Ezek.  xl.  4.  So  to  the  intent 
that  God  might  shew  to  the  Publican  the  evil  of  his  ways, 
therefore  was  he  brought  under  the  power  of  convictions, 
and  the  terrors  of  the  law ;  and  he  also,  like  a  goo<l  learner, 
gave  good  heed  unto  that  lesson  that  now  he  was  learning 
of  God  ;  for  he  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to 
heaven. 

Looking  downwards  doth  ofttimes  bespeak  men  very  pon- 
derous and  deep  in  their  cogitations  ;  also  that  the  matter 
about  which  in  their  minds  they  are  now  concerned  hath 
taken  great  hold  of  their  spirits.  The  Publican  hath  now 
new  things,  great  things,  and  long-lived  things,  to  concern 
himself  about :  his  sins,  the  curse,  with  death,  and  hell,  be- 
gan now  to  stare  him  in  the  face  :  wherefore  it  was  no  time 


230  TIIE  PHARISEE  AND  TIIE  PUBLICAN. 

now  to  let  his  heart,  or  his  eyes,  or  his  cogitations,  wander, 
but  to  be  fixed,  and  to  be  vehemently  applying  of  himself 
(as  a  sinner)  to  the  God  of  heaven  for  mercy. 

Few  know  the  weight  of  sin.  When  the  guilt  thereof 
takes  hold  of  the  conscience,  it  commands  homewards  all 
the  faculties  of  the  soul.  No  man  can  go  out  or  off 
now  :  now  he  is  wind-bound,  or,  as  Paul  says,  "  caught :" 
now  he  is  made  to  possess  bitter  days,  bitter  nights,  bitter 
hours,  bitter  thoughts  ;  nor  can  he  shift  them,  for  his  sin 
is  ever  before  him.  As  David  said,  "  For  I  acknowledge 
my  transgressions  :  and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me," — in 
my  eye,  and  sticketh  fast  in  every  one  of  my  thoughts  ; 
Psalm  li.  3. 

"  He  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven, 
but  smote  upon  his  breast."  This  was  the  third  and  last 
of  his  gestures  ;  he  "  Smote  upon  his  breast,"  to  wit,  with 
his  hand,  or  with  his  fist.  I  read  of  several  gestures  with 
the  hand  and  foot,  according  to  the  working  and  passions 
of  the  mind.  It  is  said,  "  Balak  smote  his  hands  together," 
being  angry  because  that  Balaam  had  blessed  and  not  cursed 
for  him  the  children  of  Israel. 

God  says  also,  that  he  had  smitten  his  hands  together 
at  the  sins  of  the  children  of  Israel.  God  also  bids  the 
prophet  stamp  with  his  feet,  and  smite  with  his  hand  upon 
his  thigh  (Num.  xxiv.  10  ;  Ezek.  xxii.  13  ;  vi.  11  ;  xxi. 
12),  upon  sundry  occasions,  and  at  several  enormities  ;  but 
the  Publican  here  is  said  to  smite  upon  his  breast.     And, 

1.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  betokeneth  sorrow  for  some- 
thing done.  This  is  an  experiment  common  among  men  ; 
and  indeed,  therefore  (as  I  take  it),  doth  our  Lord  Jesus 
put  him  under  this  gesture  in  the  act  and  exercise  of  his 
repentance,  because  it  is  that  which  doth  most  lively  set 
it  forth. 

Suppose  a  man  comes  to  great  damage  for  some  folly 
that  he  has  wrought,  and  he  be  made  sorrowful  for  (being 
and)  doing  such  folly,  there  is  nothing  more  common  than 
for  such  a  man  (if  he  may)  to  walk  to  and  fro  in  the  room 
where  he  is,  with  head  hung  down,  fetching  ever  and  anon 


TIIK  PHARISEE  A»D  THE   PUBLICAN.  237 

a  Litter  sigh,  and  smiting  himself  upon  the  breast  in  his 
dejected  condition  :  "  But  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying, 
God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

2.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  is  sometimes  a  token  of  in- 
dignation and  abhorrence  of  something  thought  upon.  I 
read  in  Luke,  that  when  Christ  was  crucified,  those  spec- 
tators that  stood  to  behold  the  barbarous  usage  that  he 
endured  at  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  smote  their  breasts 
and  returned.  "And  all  the  people  (says  Luke)  that  came 
together  to  that  sight,  beholding  the  things  which  were 
done,  smote  their  breasts  and  returned  ;"  Luke  xxiii.  48. 
Smote  their  breasts ;  that  is,  in  token  of  indignation 
against,  and  abhorrence  of,  the  cruelty  that  was  used  to 
the  Son  of  God. 

Here  also  we  have  our  Publican  smiting  upon  his  breast 
in  token  of  indignation  against,  and  abhorrence  of,  his  for- 
mer life ;  and  indeed,  without  indignation  against,  and  ab- 
horrence of,  his  former  life,  his  repentance  had  not  been 
good.  Wherefore  the  apostle  doth  make  indignation  against 
sin,  and  against  ourselves,  one  of  the  signs  of  true  repent- 
ance ;  2  Cor.  vii.  11  ;  and  his  indignation  against  sin  in 
general,  and  against  his  former  life  in  particular,  was  ma- 
nifested by  his  smiting  upon  the  breast,  even  as  Eph- 
raim's  smiting  upon  the  thigh  was  a  sign  and  token  of  his : 
"  Surely  (says  he),  after  that  I  was  turned,  I  repented :  and 
after  that  I  was  instructed,  I  smote  upon  my  thigh  :  I  was 
ashamed,  yea,  even  confounded,  because  I  did  bear  the  re- 
proach of  my  youth  ;"  Jer.  xxxi.  19.  Man,  when  he  ve- 
hemently dislikes  a  thing,  is  very  apt  to  shew  a  dislike  to 
that  thing  by  this  or  another  outward  gesture  ;  as  in  snuf- 
fing or  snorting  at  it,  or  in  deriding  ;  or,  as  some  say,  in 
blowing  of  their  noses  at  it  ;  Ezek.  viii.  17;  Mai.  i.  13. 
But  the  Publican  here  chooseth  rather  to  use  this  most 
solemn  posture  ;  for  smiting  upon  the  breast  seems  to  im- 
ply a  more  serious,  solemn,  grave  way  or  manner  of  dislike, 
than  any  of  those  last  mentioned  do. 

3.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  seems  to  intimate  a  quarrel 
with  the  heart,  for  beguiling,  deluding,  nattering,  seducing, 


238  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  TUBLICAN. 

and  enticing  of  him  to  pin  ;  for  as  conviction  for  sin  begets 
in  man  (I  mean  if  it  l>e  thorough)  a  sense  of  the  sore  and 
plague  of  the  heart,  so  repentance  (if  it  he  right)  hegets  in 
man  an  outcry  against  the  heart ;  forasmuch  as  by  that 
light,  hy  which  repentance  takes  occasion,  the  sinner  is 
made  to  see  that  the  heart  is  the  fountain  and  well-spring 
of  sin.  "  For  from  within,  out  of  the  heart  of  men,  proceed 
evil  thoughts,  adulteries,  covetousness,"  &c.  ;  Mark  vii. 
21-23.  And  hence  it  is  that  commonly  young  converts  do 
complain  so  of  their  hearts,  calling  them  wicked,  treacher- 
ous, deceitful,  desperate  ones. 

Indeed,  one  difference  between  true  and  false  repentance 
lieth  in  this.  The  man  that  truly  repents  crieth  out  of  his 
heart ;  but  the  other,  as  Eve,  upon  the  serpent,  or  some- 
thing else.  And  that  the  Publican  perceived  his  heart  to  be 
naught,  I  conclude,  by  his  smiting  upon  his  breast. 

4.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  seems  to  intimate  one  appre- 
hensive of  some  new,  sudden,  strange,  and  amazing  thing  ; 
as  when  a  man  sees  some  strange  sight  in  the  air,  or  hear- 
eth  some  sudden  or  dismal  sound  in  the  clouds  ;  why,  as 
he  is  struck  into  a  deep  damp  in  his  mind,  so  it  is  a  won- 
der if  he  can  keep  or  hold  back  from  smiting  upon  his 
breast. 

Now,  oftentimes  a  sight  of  God  and  sense  cf  sin  comes 
to  the  sinner  like  a  flash  of  lightning  (not  for  short  conti- 
nuance, but)  for  suddeness,  and  so  for  surprisal  ;  so  that 
the  sinner  is  struck,  taken  and  captivated  to  his  own 
amazement,  with  what  so  unexpectedly  is  come  upon  him. 
It  is  said  of  Paul  at  his  conversion,  that  when  conviction 
of  his  bad  life  took  fast  hold  of  his  conscience,  he  trembled, 
and  was  astonished  (Acts  ix.  6) ;  and  although  we  read  not 
of  any  particular  circumstance  of  his  behaviour  under  his 
conviction  outwardly,  yet  it  is  almost  impossible  but  he  must 
have  had  some,  and  those  of  the  most  solid  sort.  For  there 
is  such  a  sympathy  betwixt  the  soul  and  the  body,  that  the 
one  cannot  be  in  distress  or  comfort,  but  the  other  must 
partake  of  and  also  signify  the  same.  If  it  be  comfort,  then 
it  is  shewn  by  leaping,  skipping,  cheerfulness  of  the  coun- 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN".  239 

tenance,  or  some  other  outward  gesture.  If  it  be  sorrow  or 
heaviness  of  spirit,  then  that  is  shewed  by  the  body,  in 
weeping,  sighing,  groaning,  shaking  of  the  head,  a  louring 
countenance,  stamping,  smiting  upon  the  thigh  or  breast, 
as  here  the  Publican  did. 

We  must  not,  therefore,  look  upon  these  outward  actions 
or  gestures  of  the  Publican  to  be  empty,  insignificant  things ; 
but  to  be  such,  that  in  truth  did  express  and  shew  the 
temper,  frame,  and  complexion  of  his  soul.  For  Christ,  the 
wisdom  of  God,  hath  mentioned  them  to  that  very  end,  that 
in  and  by  them  might  be  held  forth,  and  that  men  might 
see  as  in  a  glass,  the  very  emblem  of  a  converted  and  truly 
penitent  sinner.     He  "  smote  upon  his  breast." 

5.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  is  sometimes  to  signify  a 
mixture  of  distrust,  joined  with  hope.  And,  indeed,  in 
young  converts,  hope  and  distrust,  or  a  degree  of  despair, 
do  work  and  answer  one  another,  as  doth  the  noise  of  the 
balance  of  the  watch  in  the  pocket.  Life  and  death  is 
always  the  motion  of  the  mind  then,  and  this  noise  con- 
tinues until  faith  is  stronger  grown,  and  until  the  soul  is 
better  acquainted  with  the  methods  and  ways  of  God  with 
a  sinner.  Yea,  were  but  a  carnal  man  in  a  convert's  heart, 
and  could  see,  he  could  discern  these  two,  to  wit,  hope  and 
fear,  to  have  continual  motion  in  the  soul ;  wrestling  and 
opposing  one  another,  as  doth  light  and  darkness  in  striving 
for  the  victory. 

And  hence  it  is  that  you  find  such  people  so  fickle  and 
uncertain  in  their  spirits ;  now  on  the  mount,  then  in  the 
valleys  ;  now  in  the  sunshine,  then  in  the  shade  ;  now 
warm,  then  frozen  ;  now  bonny  and  blithe,  then  in  a  mo- 
ment pensive  and  sad,  as  thinking  of  a  portion  nowhere 
but  in  hell.  This  will  cause  smiting  on  the  breast ;  nor  can 
I  imagine  that  the  Publican  was  as  yet  farther  than  thus 
far  in  the  Christian's  progress. 

6*.  Smiting  upon  the  breast  seems  to  intimate,  that  the 
party  so  doing  is  very  apprehensive  of  some  great  loss  that 
he  has  sustained,  either  by  negligence,  carelessness,  foolish- 
ness, or  the  like.     And  this  is  the  way  in  which  men  do 


240  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN 

lose  their  souls.  Now,  to  lose  a  thing,  a  great  thing,  the 
only  choice  thing  that  a  man  has,  negligently,  carelessly, 
foolishly,  or  the  like,  why,  it  puts  aggravations  into  the 
thoughts  of  the  loss  that  the  man  has  sustained,  and  aggra- 
vations into  the  thoughts  of  them  go  out  of  the  soul,  and  come 
in  upon  a  sudden,  even  as  the  bailiff,  or  the  king's  serjeant- 
at-arms,  and  at  every  appearance  of  them,  makes  the  soul 
start ;  and  starting,  it  smites  upon  the  breast. 

I  might  multiply  particulars  ;  but  to  be  brief,  we  have 
before  us  a  sensible  soul,  a  sorrowful  soul,  a  penitent  soul ; 
one  that  prays  indeed,  that  prays  sensibly,  affectionately, 
effectually  ;  one  that  sees  his  loss,  that  fears  and  trembles 
before  God  in  consideration  of  it,  and  one  that  knows  no 
way  but  the  right  way,  to  secure  himself  from  perishing, 
to  wit,  by  having  humble  and  hearty  recourse  to  the  God 
of  heaven  for  mercy. 

I  should  now  come  to  speak  something  by  way  of  use 
and  application  :  but  before  I  do  that,  I  will  briefly  draw 
up,  and  present  you  with  a  few  conclusions  that  in  my 
judgment  do  naturally  flow  from  the  text ;  therefore  in  this 
place  I  will  read  over  the  text  again. 

"  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray ;  the  one  a 
Pharisee,  the  other  a  Publican.  The  Pharisee  stood  and 
prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not 
as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even 
as  this  Publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I  give  tithes  of 
all  that  I  possess.  And  the  Publican  standing  afar  off, 
would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but 
smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner." 

From  these  words  I  gather  these  several  conclusions,  with 
these  inferences. 

1.  It  doth  not  always  follow,  that  they  that  pray  do 
know  God,  or  love  him,  or  trust  in  him.  This  conclusion 
is  evident  by  the  Pharisee  in  the  text ;  he  prayed,  but  he 
knew  not  God,  he  loved  not  God,  he  trusted  not  in  God  ; 
that  is,  he  knew  him  not  in  his  Son,  nor  loved,  nor  trusted 
in  him.     He  was,  though  a  praying  man,  far  off  from  this 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  TIIE  PUBLICAN.  241 

Whence  it  may  be  inferred,  that  those  that  pray  not  at  all 
cannot  he  good,  cannot  know,  love,  or  trust  in  God.  For  if 
the  star,  though  it  shine,  is  not  the  sun,  then  surely  a  clod 
of  dirt  cannot  be  the  sun.  Why,  a  praying  man  doth  as 
far  outstrip  a  non-praying  man  as  a  star  outstrips  a  clod  of 
earth.  A  non-praying  man  lives  like  a  beast.  "  The  ox 
knows  his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib  ;  but  this 
man  doth  not  know,  but  this  man  doth  not  consider;"  Isa. 
i.  3.  The  prayerless  man  is  therefore  of  no  religion,  ex- 
cept he  be  an  Atheist,  or  an  Epicurean.  Therefore  the  non- 
praying  man  is  numbered  among  the  heathens,  and  among 
those  that  know  not  God,  and  is  appointed  and  designed  by 
the  sentence  of  the  word  to  the  fearful  wrath  of  God  ;  Psal. 
lxxix.  6  ;  Jer.  x.  25. 

2.  A  second  conclusion  is,  That  the  man  that  prays,  if  in 
his  prayer  he  pleads  for  acceptance,  either  in  whole  or  in 
part,  for  his  own  good  deeds,  is  in  a  miserable  state.  This 
also  is  gathered  from  the  Pharisee  here  ;  he  prayed,  but  in 
this  prayer  he  pleaded  his  own  good  deeds  for  acceptance, 
that  is,  of  his  person,  and  therefore  went  down  to  his  house 
unjustified.  And  he  is  in  this  condition  that  doth  thus. 
The  conclusion  is  true,  forasmuch  as  the  Pharisee  men- 
tioned in  the  parable  is  not  so  spoken  of  for  the  sake  of 
that  sect  of  men,  but  to  caution,  forewarn,  and  bid  all  men 
take  heed,  that  they  by  doing  as  he,  procure  not  their  re- 
jection of  God,  and  be  sent  away  from  his  presence  un- 
justified. I  do  therefore  infer  from  hence,  that  if  he  that 
pleadeth  his  own  good  doing  for  personal  acceptance  with 
God  be  thus  miserable,  then  he  that  teacheth  men  so  to  do 
is  much  more  miserable. 

We  always  conclude,  that  a  ring-leader  in  an  evil  way  is 
more  blame -worthy  than  those  that  are  led  of  him.  This 
falls  hard  upon  the  leading  Socinians  and  others,  who  teach 
that  men's  works  make  their  persons  accepted  of  God. 

True,  they  say,  through  Christ  ;  but  that  is  brought  in 
merely  to  delude  the  simple  with,  and  is  an  horrible  lie  ; 
for  we  read  not  in  all  the  word  of  God  as  to  personal  jus- 
tification in  the  sight  of  God  from  the  curse  (and  that  is  the 


242  THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE   PUBMCAN. 

question  under  consideration),  that  it  must  be  by  man's 
righteousness  as  made  prevalent  by  Christ's,  but  contrari- 
wise, by  his  and  his  only,  without  the  deeds,  works,  or 
righteousness  of  the  law,  which  is  our  righteousness.  Where- 
fore, I  say,  the  teachers  and  leaders  of  this  doctrine  have 
the  greater  sin. 

3.  A  third  conclusion  is,  They  that  use  high  and  flaunt- 
ing language  in  prayer,  their  simplicity  and  godly  sin- 
cerity is  to  be  questioned  as  to  the  doing  of  that  duty  sin- 
cerely. This  still  flows  from  our  text  ;  the  Pharisee 
greatly  used  this  :  for  higher  and  more  flaunting  language 
can  hardly  be  found  than  in  the  Pharisee's  mouth  ;  nor 
will  ascribing  to  God  by  the  same  mouth  laud  and  praise 
help  the  business  at  all  :  for  to  be  sure,  where  the  effect 
is  base  and  rotten,  the  cause  cannot  be  good. 

The  Pharisee  would  hold  himself  that  he  was  not  as 
other  men,  and  then  gives  thanks  to  God  for  this :  but 
the  conclusion  was  most  vilely  false,  and  therefore  the 
praise  for  it  could  not  but  be  foolish,  vain,  and  frivolous. 
Whence  I  infer,  that  if  to  use  such  language  in  prayer  is 
dangerous,  then  to  affect  the  use  thereof  is  yet  more  dan- 
gerous. Prayer  must  be  made  with  humble  hearts  and 
sensible  words,  and  of  that  we  have  treated  before  ;  where- 
fore high,  flaunting,  swelling  words  of  vanity,  become  not 
a  sinner's  mouth  ;  no,  not  at  any  time  ;  much  less  when  he 
comes  to,  and  presents  himself  before  God  in  that  solemn 
duty  of  prayer.  But,  I  say,  there  are  some  that  so  affect 
the  Pharisee's  mode,  that  they  cannot  be  well  if  in  some 
sort  or  other  they  be  not  in  the  practice  of  it,  not  knowing 
what  they  say,  nor  whereof  they  affirm  ;  but  these  are 
greatly  addicted  to  hypocrisy  and  desire  of  vain-glory, 
especially  if  the  sound  of  their  words  be  within  the  reach 
of  other  men's  ears. 

4.  A  fourth  conclusion  is,  That  reformation  and  amend- 
ment, though  good,  and  before  men,  are  nothing  as  to  justi- 
fication with  God.  This  is  manifest  by  the  condition  of  our 
Pharisee  :  he  was  a  reformed  man,  a  man  beyond  others 
for  personal  righteousness,  yet  he  went  out  of  the  temple 


THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN.  243 

from  God  unjustified  ;  his  works  came  to  nothing  with  God. 
Hence  I  infer,  that  the  man  that  hath  nothing  to  commend 
him  to  God  of  his  own,  yet  stands  as  fair  before  God  for 
justification,  and  so  acceptance,  as  any  other  man  in  the 
world. 

5.  A  fifth  conclusion  is,  It  is  the  sensible  sinner,  the  self- 
bemoaning  sinner,  the  self-judging  sinner,  the  self-abhor- 
ring sinner,  and  the  self-condemning  sinner,  whose  prayers 
prevail  with  God  fur  mercy.  Hence  I  infer,  that  one  rea- 
son why  men  make  so  many  prayers,  and  prevail  no  more 
with  God  is,  because  their  prayers  are  rather  the  floatings 
of  Pharisaical  fancies  than  the  fruits  of  sound  sense  of  sin, 
and  sincere  desires  of  enjoying  God  in  mercy,  and  in  the 
fruits  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


TBINITY  AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 


OP  THE 


TRINITY  AND   A   CHRISTIAN: 

How  a  young  or  shaken  Christian  should  demean  himself  under  the 

weighty  thoughts  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  or  Plurality 

of  Persons  in  the  eternal  Godhead. 


The  reason  why  I  say  a  young  or  shaken  Christian, 
is,  because  some  that  are  net  young,  but  of  an  ancient 
standing,  may  not  only  be  assaulted  with  violent  tempta- 
tions concerning  gospel-principles,  but  a  second  time  may 
become  a  child,  a  babe,  a  shallow  man,  in  the  things  of 
God  :  especially,  either  when  by  backsliding  he  hath  pro- 
voked God  to  leave  him,  or  when  some  new,  unexpected, 
and  (as  to  present  strength)  over  weighty  objection  doth 
fall  upon  the  spirit,  by  means  of  which  great  shakings  of 
mind  do  commonly  attend  such  a  soul  in  the  most  weighty 
matters  of  the  concerns  of  faith,  of  which  this  is  one  that 
I  have  supposed  in  the  above-mentioned  question:  Where- 
fore passing  other  things,  I  will  come  directly  to  that,  and 
briefly  propose  some  helps  to  a  soul  in  such  a  case. 

I.  The  first  preparative. 

First,  Then,  be  sure  thou  keep  close  to  the  Word  of  God  ; 
for  that  is  the  revelation  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God,  both 
as  to  the  truth  of  what  is  either  in  himself  or  ways,  and 
also  as  to  what  he  requireth  and  expecteth  of  thee,  either 
concerning  faith  in,  oil  obedience  to,  what  he  hath  so  re- 
vealed. Now  for  thy  better  performing  of  this,  I  shall  give 
thee  in  brief  these  following  directions. 

1.  Suffer  thyself,  by  the  authority  of  the  Word,  to  be 
persuaded  that   the  Scripture  indeed  is  the  Word  of  God, 


2-18  OF  THE  TRINITY  AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  Scriptures  of  truth,  the  words  of  the  Holy  One  ;  and 
that  they  therefore  must  be  every  one  true,  pure,  and  for 
ever  settled  in  heaven. 

2.  Conclude  therefore  from  the  former  doctrine,  that 
that  God  whose  words  they  are,  is  able  to  make  a  reconci- 
liation and  most  sweet  and  harmonious  agreement  with  all 
the  sayings  therein,  how  obscure,  cross,  dark,  and  contra- 
dictory soever  they  seem  to  thee.  To  understand  all 
mysteries,  to  have  all  knowledge,  to  be  able  to  compre- 
hend with  all  saints,  is  a  great  work  ;  enough  to  crush  the 
spirit,  and  to  stretch  the  strings  of  the  most  capacious, 
widened  soul  that  breatheth  on  this  side  glory,  be  they  not- 
withstanding exceedingly  enlarged  by  revelation.  Paul, 
when  he  was  caught  up  to  heaven,  saw  that  which  was 
unlawful,  because  impossible,  for  man  to  utter.  And  saith 
Christ  to  the  reasoning  Pharisee,  "  If  I  have  told  you 
earthly  things,  and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall  you  be- 
lieve if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things  V  It  is  great 
lewdness,  and  also  insufferable  arroganey,  to  come  to  the 
Word  of  God,  as  conceiting  already  that  whatever  thou 
readest  must  either  by  thee  be  understood,  or  of  itself  fall 
to  the  ground  as  a  senseless  error.  But  God  is  wiser  than 
man,  wherefore  fear  thou  him,  and  tremble  at  his  word, 
saying  still,  with  godly  suspicion  of  thine  own  infirmity, 
What  I  see  not,  teach  thou  me  ;  and,  Thou  art  God  only 
wise  ;  but  as  for  me,  I  am  as  a  beast  before  thee. 

3.  Take  heed  of  taking  a  part  of  the  Word  only,  lest 
thou  thereby  go  away  with  the  truth  as  mangled  in  pieces. 
For  instance,  where  thou  readest,  "  The  Lord  our  God  is 
one  Lord,"  there  take  heed  that  thou  dost  not  thence  con- 
clude, then  there  are  not  three  persons  in  the  Godhead  :  or 
when  thou  readest  of  "  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit,"  then  take  heed  of  concluding  there  must  there- 
fore either  be  three  Gods,  or  else  that  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  are  not  true  God,  but  the  Father  only.  Where- 
fore to  help  thee  here,  observe, 

II.  The  second  preparative. 

1.  That  the  Christian  religion  requireth  credit  concerning 


OF  THE  TKINITY  AND  A  CHRISTIAN.  241) 

every  doctrine  contained  in  the  Word ;  credit,  I  say,  ac- 
cording to  the  true  relation  of  every  sentence  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  hath  revealed  for  the  asserting,  maintaining,  or  vin- 
dicating that  same  truth. 

2.  And  therefore,  hence  it  is  that  a  Christian  is  not 
called  a  doer,  a  reasoner,  an  objector,  and  perverse  dis- 
puter,  but  a  believer.  Be  thou  an  example  to  "the  be- 
lievers ;"  and,  "  believers"  were  "added  to  the  church,"  &c. 

3.  Therefore,  know  again,  that  the  Word,  if  it  saith  and 
expresseth  that  this  or  that  is  so  and  so,  as  to  the  matter 
in  hand,  thou  art  bound  and  obliged,  both  by  the  name, 
profession,  and  the  truth,  unto  which  thou  hast  joined 
thyself,  to  assent  to,  confess,  and  acknowledge  the  same, 
even  then  when  thy  carnal  reason  will  not  stoop  thereto. 
"  Righteous  art  thou,  0  God,"  saith  Jeremiah,  "  yet  let 
me  plead  with  thee  ;  Wherefore  do  the  wicked  live  ?" 
Mark,  first  he  acknowledged  that  God's  way  with  the 
wicked  is  just  and  right,  even  then  when  yet  he  could  not 
see  the  reason  of  his  actings  and  dispensations  towards 
them.  The  same  reason  is  good  as  to  our  present  case  : 
and  hence  it  is  that  the  apostle  saith,  the  spiritual  ar- 
mour of  Christians  should  be  much  exercised  against  those 
high  towering  and  self-exalting  imaginations,  that  within 
our  own  bosoms  do  exalt  themselves  against  the  know- 
ledge of  God  ;  that  every  thought  or  carnal  reasoning 
may  be  not  only  taken,  but  brought  a  captive  into  obe- 
dience to  Christ ;  that  is,  be  made  to  stoop  to  the  Word  of 
God,  and  to  give  way  and  place  to  the  doctrine  therein 
contained,  how  cross  soever  our  thoughts  and  the  Word  lie 
to  each  other.  And  it  is  observable  that  he  here  saith, 
they  exalt  themselves  against  the  knowledge  of  God;" 
which  cannot  be  understood,  that  our  carnal,  natural 
reason  doth  exalt  itself  against  an  eternal  deity,  simply 
considered  ;  for  that  nature  itself  doth  gather  from  the 
very  things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and 
Godhead :  it  must  be  then  that  they  exalt  themselves 
against  that  God  as  thus  and  thus  revealed  in  the  Word,  to 
wit,  against  the  knowledge  of  one  God,  consisting  of  three 


260  OF  THE  TRINITY  AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 

persons,  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit ;  for  this  is  the  doctrine  of 
the  Scriptures  of  truth  :  and  therefore  it  is  observable  these 
thoughts  must  be  brought  captive,  and  be  made  subject  in 
particular  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  to  the  second  person 
in  the  Godhead :  for  the  Father  is  ever  acknowledged  by 
all  that  profess  the  least  of  religion  ;  but  the  Son  is  that 
6tumbling-stone  and  rock  of  offence,  against  which  thou- 
sands dash  themselves  in  pieces  ;  though  in  him  are  hid  all 
the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  and  in  him  dwells 
the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily. 


OVTHB 


LAW  AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 


OF  THE 

LAW  AND   A   CHRISTIAN. 


The  law  was  given  twice  upon  Mount  Sinai,  but  the 
appearance  of  the  Lord,  when  he  gave  it  the  second  time, 
was  wonderfully  different  from  that  of  his,  when  at  the 
first  he  delivered  it  to  Israel. 

1.  When  he  gave  it  the  first  time,  he  caused  his  terror 
and  severity  to  appear  before  Moses,  to  the  shaking  of  his 
soul  and  the  dismaying  of  Israel ;  but  when  he  gave  it  the 
second  time,  he  caused  all  his  goodness  to  pass  before  Moses, 
to  the  comfort  of  his  conscience  and  the  bowing  of  his 
heart. 

2.  When  he  gave  it  the  first  time,  it  was  with  thunder- 
ings  and  lightnings,  with  blackness  and  darkness,  with 
flame  and  smoke,  and  a  tearing  sound  of  the  trumpet ;  but 
when  he  gave  it  the  second  time,  it  was  with  a  proclama- 
tion of  his  name  to  be  merciful,  gracious,  long-suffering, 
and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for 
thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgressions,  and  sins. 

3.  When  he  gave  it  the  first  time,  Moses  was  called  to 
go  up  to  receive  it  through  the  fire,  which  made  him  ex- 
ceedingly fear  and  quake  :  but  when  he  went  to  receive  it 
the  second  time,  he  was  laid  in  a  clift  of  the  rock. 

4.  From  all  which  I  gather,  that,  though  as  to  the  mat- 
ter of  the  law,  both  as  to  its  being  given  the  first  time  and 
the  second,  it  binds  the  unbeliever  under  the  pains  of  eter- 
nal damnation  (if  lie  closs  not  with  Christ  by  faith)  ;  yet 
as  to  the  manner  of  its  giving  at  these  two  times,  I  think 
the  first  doth  more  principally  intend  its  force  asacove- 


254  OF  THE  LAW   AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 

nant  of  works,  not  at  all  respecting  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  but 
this  second  time  not  (at  least  in  the  manner  of  its  being 
given)  respecting  such  a  covenant,  but  rather  as  a  rule  or 
directory  to  those  who  already  are  found  in  the  clift  of  the 
rock  Christ ;  for  the  saint  himself,  though  he  be  without 
law  to  God,  as  it  is  considered  the  first  or  old  covenant,  yet 
even  he  is  nut  without  law  to  him  as  considered  under 
grace  ;  not  without  law  to  God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ. 

5.  Though,  therefore,  it  be  sad  with  the  unbeliever,  be- 
cause he  only  and  wholly  standeth  under  the  law  as  it  is 
given  in  fire,  in  smoke,  in  blackness,  and  darkness,  and 
thunder  ;  all  which  threaten  him  with  eternal  ruin  if  he 
fulfil  not  the  utmost  tittle  thereof;  yet  the  believer  stands 
to  the  law  under  no  such  consideration,  neither  is  he  so  at 
all  to  hear  or  regard  it,  for  he  is  now  removed  from  thence 
to  the  blessed  mountain  of  Zion — to  grace  and  forgiveness 
of  sins  ;  he  is  now,  I  say,  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
shrouded  under  so  perfect  and  blessed  a  righteousness,  that 
this  thundering  law  of  Mount  Sinai  cannot  find  the  least 
fault  or  diminution  therein,  but  rather  approveth  and  al- 
loweth  thereof,  either  when  or  wherever  it  find  it.  This 
is  called  the  righteousness  of  God  without  the  law,  and  is 
also  said  to  be  witnessed  by  both  the  law  and  the  prophets  ; 
even  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is  by  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe  ;  for  there  is 
no  difference. 

6.  Wherefore,  whenever  thou  who  believest  in  Jesus,  dost 
hear  the  law  in  its  thundering  and  lightning  fits,  as  if  it 
would  burn  up  heaven  and  earth,  then  say  thou,  I  am  freed 
from  this  law,  these  thunderings  have  nothing  to  do  with 
my  soul  ;  nay,  even  this  law,  while  it  thus  thunders  and 
roars,  it  doth  both  allow  and  approve  of  my  righteous- 
ness. I  know  that  Hagar  would  sometimes  be  domineer- 
ing and  high,  even  in  Sarah's  house,  and  against  her  ;  but 
this  she  is  not  to  be  suffered  to  do,  nay,  though  Sarah  her- 
self be  barren  ;  wherefore,  serve  it  also  as  Sarah  served  her, 
and  expel  her  out  from  thy  house.  My  meaning  is,  when 
this  law  with  its  thundering  threatenings  doth  attempt  to 


OF  THE  LAW  AND  A  CHRISTIAN.  255 

lay  hold  on  thy  conscience,  shut  it  out  with  a  promise  of 
grace  ;  cry,  The  inn  is  taken  up  already ;  the  Lord  Jesus  is 
here  entertained,  and  here  is  no  room  for  the  law.  Indeed, 
if  it  will  be  content  with  being-  my  informer,  and  so  lovingly 
leave  off  to  judge  me,  I  will  be  content,  it  shall  be  in  ray 
sight,  I  will  also  delight  therein  ;  but  otherwise,  I  being 
now  made  upright  without  it,  and  that  too  with  that  right- 
eousness which  this  law  speaks  well  of  and  approveth,  I 
may  not,  will  not,  cannot  dare  not  make  it  my  Saviour 
and  judge,  nor  suffer  it  to  set  up  its  government  in  my 
conscience  ;  for  by  so  doing,  I  fall  from  grace,  and  Christ 
Jesus  doth  profit  me  nothing. 

7.  Thus,  therefore,  the  soul  that  is  married  to  him  that 
is  raised  up  from  the  dead,  both  may  and  ought  to  deal  with 
this  law  of  God  ;  yea,  it  doth  greatly  dishonour  its  Lord 
and  refuse  its  gospel  privileges,  if  it  at  any  time  otherwise 
doth,  whatever  it  seeth  or  feels.  "  The  law  hath  power  over 
the  wife  so  long  as  her  husband  liveth,  but  if  her  husband 
be  dead  she  is  freed  from  that  law  ;  so  that  she  is  no 
adulteress  though  she  be  married  to  another  man."  In- 
deed, so  long  as  thou  art  alive  to  sin,  and  to  thy  right- 
eousness which  is  of  the  law,  so  long  thou  hast  them 
for  thy  husband,  and  they  must  reign  over  thee  ;  but  when 
once  they  are  become  dead  unto  thee — as  they  then  most 
certainly  will  when  thou  closest  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
— then,  I  say,  thy  former  husbands  have  no  more  to  meddle 
with  thee  ;  thou  art  freed  from  their  law.  Set  the  case  :  A 
woman  be  cast  into  prison  for  a  debt  of  hundreds  of  pounds  ; 
if  after  this  she  marry,  yea,  though  while  she  is  in  the 
jailor's  hand,  in  the  same  day  that  she  is  joined  to  her 
husband,  her  debt  is  all  become  his  ;  yea,  and  tne  law  also 
that  arrested  and  imprisoned  this  woman,  as  freely  tells  her, 
go  :  she  is  freed,  saith  Paui,  from  that  ;  and  so  saith  the 
law  of  this  land. 

The  sum,  then,  of  what  hath  been  said  is  this — The 
Christian  hath  now  nothing  to  do  with  the  law,  as  it  thun- 
dereth  and  burnetii  on  Sinai,  or  as  it  bindeth  the  conscience 
to  wrath  and  the  displeasure  of  God  for  sin  ;  for  from  its 


256  OP  THE  LAW  AND  A  CHRISTIAN. 

thus  appearing,  it  is  freed  by  faith  in  Christ.  Yet  it  is  to 
have  regard  thereto,  and  is  to  count  it  holy,  just,  and  good; 
which,  that  it  may  do,  it  is  always,  whenever  it  seeth  or 
regards  it,  to  remember  that  he  who  giveth  it  to  us  "  is  mer- 
ciful, gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth,"  &a 


BUNIAN'S  LAST  SERMON. 


BUNYAN'S  LAST  SEBMON: 

PREACHED  JULY  1688. 


•*  JVhicJi  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  thefleth,  nor  etfthe 
will  of  man,  but  of  God;"  John  i.  13. 

The  words  have  a  dependence  on  what  goes  before,  and 
therefore  I  must  direct  you  to  them  for  the  right  under- 
standing of  it.  You  have  it  thus, — "  He  came  to  his  own, 
but  his  own  received  him  not ;  but  as  many  as  received 
him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  which  believe  on  his  name ;  which  were  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  but  of  God."  In 
the  words  before,  you  have  two  things — 

First,  Some  of  his  own  rejecting  him  when  he  offered 
himself  to  them. 

Secondly,  Others  of  his  own  receiving  him,  and  making 
him  welcome.  Those  that  reject  him  he  also  passes  by  ; 
but  those  that  receive  him,  he  gives  them  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God.  Now,  lest  any  one  should  look  upon  it 
as  good  luck  or  fortune,  says  he,  "  They  were  born,  not  of 
blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man, 
but  of  God."  They  that  did  not  receive  him,  they  were 
only  born  of  flesh  and  blood  ;  but  those  that  receive  him, 
they  have  God  to  their  father,  they  receive  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  with  a  vehement  desire. 

First,  I  will  shew  you  what  he  means  by  "  blood."  They 
that  believe  are  born  to  it,  as  an  heir  is  to  an  inheritance  ; 
they  are  born  of  God  ;  not  of  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man, 
but  of  God  ;  not  of  blood — that  is,  not  by  generation  ;  not 
born  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  the  flesh  ;  not  because 
I  am  the  son  of  a  godly  man  or  woman.  That  is  meant 
by  blood,  Acts  xvii.  26,  "  He  has  made  of  one  blood  all 


260  bun  van's  last  sermon. 

nations.'1  But  when  he  says  here,  "  not  of  blood,"  he  re- 
jects all  carnal  privileges  they  did  boast  of.  They  boasted 
they  were  Abraham's  seed.  No,  no,  says  he,  it  is  not  of 
blood  ;  think  not  to  say  you  have  Abraham  to  your  father, 
you  must  be  born  of  God  if  you  go  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

Secondly,  "  Nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh."  What  must 
we  understand  by  that  1 

It  is  taken  for  those  vehement  inclinations  that  are  in 
man  to  all  manner  of  looseness,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the 
flesh.  That  must  not  be  understood  here ;  men  are  not 
made  the  children  of  God  by  fulfilling  their  lustful  desires  ; 
it  must  be  understood  here  in  the  best  sense.  There  is  not 
only  in  carnal  men  a  will  to  be  vile,  but  there  is  in  them 
a  will  to  be  saved  also — a  will  to  go  to  heaven  also.  But 
this  it  will  not  do,  it  will  not  privilege  a  man  in  the  things 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Natural  desires  after  the  things 
of  another  world,  they  are  not  an  argument  to  prove  a  man 
shall  go  to  heaven  whenever  he  dies.  I  am  not  a  free- 
wilier,  I  do  abhor  it ;  yet  there  is  not  the  wickedest  man 
but  he  desires  some  time  or  other  to  be  saved.  He  will 
read  some  time  or  other,  or,  it  may  be,  pray  ;  but  this  will 
not  do — "  It  is  not  in  him  that  wills,  nor  in  him  that  runs, 
but  in  God  that  shews  mercy  ;"  there  is  willing  and  run- 
ning, and  yet  to  no  purpose  ;  Rom.  ix.  16,  "  Israel,  which 
followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  have  not  obtained 
it."  Here  I  do  not  understand  as  if  the  apostle  had  denied 
a  virtuous  course  of  life  to  be  the  way  to  heaven,  but  that 
a  man  without  grace,  though  he  have  natural  gifts,  yet  he 
shall  not  obtain  privilege  to  go  to  heaven,  and  be  the  son 
of  God.  Though  a  man  without  grace  may  have  a  will  to 
be  saved,  yet  he  cannot  have  that  will  God's  way.  Nature, 
it  cannot  know  anything  but  the  things  of  nature  ;  the 
things  of  God  knows  no  man  but  by  the  Spirit  of  God ;  unless 
the  Spirit  of  God  be  in  you,  it  will  leave  you  on  this  side 
the  gates  of  heaven — "  Not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  It  may  be  some 
may  have  a  will,  a  desire  that  Ishmael  may  be  saved ; 


BUNYAN  S  LAST  SERMON.  261 

know  this,  it  will  not  save  thy  child.  If  it  were  our  will, 
I  would  have  you  all  go  to  heaven.  How  many  are  there 
in  the  world  that  pray  for  their  children,  and  cry  for  them, 
and  ready  to  die  ;  and  this  will  not  do  ?  God's  will  is  the 
rule  of  all  ;  it  is  only  through  Jesus  Christ,  "  which  were 
horn,  not  of  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God." 
Now  I  come  to  the  doctrine. 

Men  that  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  to  the  effectual  receiv- 
ing of  Jesus  Christ,  they  are  born  to  it.  He  does  not  say 
they  shall  be  born  to  it,  but  they  are  horn  to  it ;  born  of 
God,  unto  God,  and  the  things  of  God,  before  they  receive 
God  to  eternal  salvation.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  Now  unless  he  be 
born  of  God,  he  cannot  see  it.  Suppose  the  kingdom  of 
God  be  what  it  will,  he  cannot  see  it  before  he  be  begotten 
of  God  ;  suppose  it  be  the  Gospel,  he  cannot  see  it  before 
he  be  brought  into  a  state  of  regeneration  ;  believing  is 
the  consequence  of  the  new  birth,  "  not  of  blood,  nor  of 
the  will  of  man,  but  of  God." 

First,  I  will  give  you  a  clear  description  of  it  under  one 
similitude  or  two.  A  child,  before  it  be  born  into  the  world, 
is  in  the  dark  dungeon  of  its  mother's  womb  ;  so  a  child  of 
God,  before  he  be  born  again,  is  in  the  dark  dungeon  of  »sin, 
sees  nothing  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  therefore  it  is  called  a 
new  birth  ;  the  same  soul  has  krv  one  way  in  its  carnal 
condition,  another  way  when  it  is  born  again. 

Secondly,  As  it  is  compared  to  a  birth,  resembling  a 
child  in  his  mother's  womb,  so  it  is  compared  to  a  man 
being  raised  out  of  the  grave ;  and  to  be  born  again  is  to  be 
raised  out  of  the  grave  of  sin — "  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest, 
and  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  life." 
To  be  raised  from  the  grave  of  sin  is  to  be  begotten  and 
born  ;  Rev.  i.  5.  There  is  a  famous  instance  of  Christ — 
"  He  is  the  first-begotten  from  the  dead,  he  is  the  first-born 
from  the  dead  ;"  unto  which  our  regeneration  alludeth, — 
that  is,  if  you  be  bom  again  by  seeking  those  things  that 
are  above,  then  there  is  a  similitude  betwixt  Christ's  resur- 
rection and  the  new  birth  ;  which  were  born,  which  were 


262  BUNYAN'S  LAST  SERMON. 

restored  out  of  this  dark  world,  and  translated  out  of  the 
kingdom  of  this  dark  world  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear 
Son,  and  made  us  live  a  new  life  ;  this  is  to  he  born  again  ; 
and  he  that  is  delivered  from  the  mother's  womb,  it  is  the 
help  of  the  mother  ;  so  he  that  is  born  of  God,  it  is  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  I  must  give  you  a  few  consequences  of  a 
new  birth. 

First  of  all,  a  child,  you  know,  is  incident  to  cry  as  soon 
as  it  comes  into  the  world  ;  for  if  there  be  no  noise,  they 
say  it  is  dead.  You  that  are  born  of  God,  and  Christians, 
if  you  be  not  criers,  there  is  no  spiritual  life  in  you  ;  if  you 
be  born  of  God,  you  are  crying  ones ;  as  soon  as  he  has  raised 
you  out  of  the  dark  dungeon  of  sin,  you  cannot  but  cry  to 
God,  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  1  As  soon  as  ever  God 
had  touched  the  jailor,  he  cries  out,  "  Men  and  brethren, 
what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"'  Oh  !  how  many  prayerless 
professors  are  there  in  London  that  never  pray  }  Coffee- 
houses will  not  let  you  pray,  trades  will  not  let  you  pray, 
looking-glasses  will  not  let  you  pray  ;  but  if  you  were  born 
of  God,  you  would. 

Secondly,  It  is  not  only  natural  for  a  child  to  cry,  but  it 
must  crave  the  breast,  it  cannot  live  without  the  breast  ; 
therefore  Peter  makes  it  the  true  trial  of  a  new-born  babe  ; 
the  new-born  babe  desires  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word,  that 
he  may  grow  thereby.  If  you  be  born  of  God,  make  it 
manifest  by  desiring  the  breast  of  God.  Do  you  long  for 
the  milk  of  promises  ?  A  man  lives  one  way  when  he  is  in 
the  world,  another  way  when  he  is  brought  unto  Jesus 
Christ ;  Isa.  lxvi.,  "  They  shall  suck,  and  be  satisfied. "  If 
you  be  born  again,  there  is  no  satisfaction  till  you  get  the 
milk  of  God's  word  into  your  souls;  Isa.  lxvi.  11,  "  To 
suck,  and  be  satisfied  with  tho  breasts  of  consolation."  0 
what  is  a  promise  to  a  carnal  man  ;  a  whorehouse,  it  may 
l>e,  is  more  sweet  to  him  ;  but  if  you  be  born  again,  you 
cannot  live  without  the  milk  of  God's  word.  What  is  a 
woman's  breast  to  a  horse  ?  But  what  is  it  to  a  child  ? 
There  is  its  comfort  night  and  day,  there  is  its  succour  night 
and  day.     0  how  loath  is  he  it  should  be  taken  from  hiin. 


bunyan's  last  sermon.  263 

Minding  heavenly  things,  says  a  carnal  man,  is  hut  vanity  ; 
hut  to  a  child  of  God,  there  is  his  comfort. 

Thirdly,  A  child  that  is  newly  horn,  if  it  have  not  other 
comforts  to  keep  it  warm  than  it  had  in  its  mother's  womb, 
it  dies.  It  must  have  something  got  for  its  succour  ;  so 
Christ  had  swaddling  clothes  prepared  for  him  ;  so  those 
that  are  born  again,  they  must  have  some  promise  of  Christ 
to  keep  them  alive.  Those  that  are  in  a  carnal  state,  they 
warm  themselves  with  other  things  ;  but  those  that  are 
born  again,  they  cannot  live  without  some  promise  of 
Christ  to  keep  them  alive,  as  he  did  to  the  poor  infant  in 
Ezekiel  xvii.,  "  1  covered  thee  with  embroidered  gold." 
And  when  women  are  with  child,  what  fine  things  will  they 
prepare  for  their  child  !  0  but  what  fine  things  has  Christ 
prepared  to  wrap  all  in  that  are  born  again  !  0  what  wrap- 
pings of  gold  has  Christ  prepared  for  all  that  are  born  again  ! 
Women  will  dress  their  children,  that  every  one  may  see 
them  how  fine  they  are  ;  so  he  in  Ezekiel  xvi.  11 — "  I 
decked  thee  also  with  ornaments,  and  I  also  put  bracelets 
upon  thine  hands,  and  a  chain  on  thy  neck.  And  I  put  a 
jewel  on  thy  forehead,  and  ear-rings  in  thine  ears,  and  a 
beautiful  crown  upon  thine  head  ;"  and,  says  he  in  the  13th 
verse,  "  thou  didst  prosper  to  a  kingdom."  This  is  to  set 
out  nothing  in  the  world  but  the  righteousness  of  Christ, 
and  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  without  which  a  new-born  babe 
cannot  live,  unless  he  have  the  golden  righteousness  of 
Christ. 

Fourthly,  A  child  when  it  is  in  its  mother's  lap,  the 
mother  takes  great  delight  to  have  that  which  will  be  for 
its  comfort  ;  so  it  is  with  God's  children,  they  shall  be  kept 
on  his  knee;  Isaiah  lxvi.  11,  "They  shall  suck  and  be 
satisfied  with  the  breasts  of  her  consolation."  Ver.  13,  "  As 
one  whom  his  mother  coinforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you." 
There  is  a  similitude  in  these  things  that  nobody  knows  of 
but  those  that  are  bom  again. 

Fifthly,  There  is  usually  some  similitude  betwixt  the 
father  and  the  child  ;  it  may  be  the  child  looks  like  its  fa- 
ther; so  those  that  are  born  again,  they  have  a  new  simili- 

u 


264  BUiWA.Vs  LAST  SEttMON. 

tude,  they  have  the  image  of  Jesus  Christ  (Gal.  iv.),  every 
one  that  is  honi  of  God  lias  something  of  the  features  of 
heaven  upon  him.  Men  love  those  children  that  are  likest 
them  most  usually  ;  so  does  God  his  children  ;  therefore 
they  are  called  the  children  of  God.  But  others  do  not  look 
like  him,  therefore  they  are  called  Sodomites.  Christ  de- 
scribes children  of  the  devil  by  their  features  ;  the  children 
of  the  devil,  his  works  they  will  do  ;  all  works  of  unright- 
eousness, they  are  the  devil's  works.  If  you  are  earthly, 
you  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthly  ;  if  heavenly,  you 
have  borne  the  image  of  the  heavenly. 

Sixthly,  When  a  man  has  a  child,  he  trains  him  up  to  his 
own  liking,  he  learns  the  custom  of  his  father's  house  ;  so 
are  those  that  are  born  of  God  ;  they  have  learned  the 
custom  of  the  true  church  of  God,  there  they  learn  to  cry, 
My  Father  and  my  God  ;  they  are  brought  up  in  God's 
house,  they  learn  the  method  and  form  of  God's  house  for 
regulating  their  lives  in  this  world. 

Seventhly,  Children,  it  is  natural  for  them  to  depend 
upon  their  father  for  wkat  they  want.  If  they  want  a  pair 
of  shoes,  they  go  and  tell  him  ;  if  they  want  bread,  they  go 
and  tell  him ;  so  should  the  children  of  God  do.  Do  you 
want  spiritual  bread  ?  go  tell  God  of  it.  Do  you  want 
strength  of  grace  1  ask  it  of  God.  Do  you  want  strength 
against  Satan's  temptations  ?  go  and  tell  God  of  it.  When  the 
devil  tempts  you,  run  home  and  tell  your  heavenly  Father  ; 
go  pour  out  your  complaints  to  God.  This  is  natural  to 
children  ;  if  any  wrong  them,  they  go  and  tell  their  fa- 
ther ;  so  do  those  that  are  born  of  God,  when  they  meet 
with  temptations,  go  and  tell  God  of  them. 

The  first  use  is  this,  to  make  a  strict  inquiry  whether  you 
be  born  of  God  or  not.  Examine  by  those  things  I  laid 
down  before  of  a  child  of  nature  and  a  child  of  grace.  Are 
you  brought  out  of  the  dark  dungeon  of  this  world  into 
Christ  1  Have  you  learned  to  cry,  My  Father  1  Jcr.  iii.  16, 
"  And  I  said,  Thou  shall  call  me  thy  Father."  All  God's 
children  are  criers.  Can  you  be  quiet  without  you  have 
a   bellyful  of  the   milk    of   God's  word  1      Can  you  be 


BUN VAN  S  LAST  SERMON.  2(55 

satisfied  without  you  have  peace  with  God  ?  Pray  you  con- 
sider it,  and  be  serious  with'  yourselves.  If  you  have  not 
these  marks,  you  will  fall  short  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  you 
shall  never  have  an  interest  there  ;  there  is  no  intruding. 
They  wi] .  say,  "  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us  ;  and  he  will  say, 
I  know  you  not."  No  child  of  God,  no  heavenly  inheri- 
tance. We  sometimes  give  something  to  those  that  are  not 
our  children,  but  not  our  lands.  0  do  not  flatter  yourselves 
with  a  portion  among  the  sons,  unless  you  live  like  sons. 
When  we  see  a  king's  son  play  with  a  beggar,  this  is  unbe- 
coming ;  so  if  you  be  the  king's  children,  live  like  the 
king's  children.  If  you  be  risen  with  Christ,  set  your  af- 
fections on  things  above,  and  not  on  things  below.  When 
you  come  together,  talk  of  what  your  Father  promised  you  ; 
you  should  all  love  your  Father's  will,  and  be  content  and 
pleased  with  the  exercises  you  meet  with  in  the  world.  If 
you  are  the  children  of  God,  live  together  lovingly.  If  the 
world  quarrel  with  you,  it  is  no  matter  ;  but  it  is  sad  if  you 
quarrel  together.  If  this  be  amongst  you,  it  is  a  sign  of 
ill-breeding,  it  is  not  according  to  rules  you  have  in  the 
Word  of  God.  Dost  thou  see  a  soul  that  has  the  image  of 
God  in  him  ?  Love  him,  love  him  ;  say,  This  man  and  I 
must  go  to  heaven  one  day.  Serve  one  another,  do  good  for 
one  another ;  and  if  any  wrong  you,  pray  to  God  to  right 
you,  and  love  the  brotherhood. 

Lastly,  If  you  be  the  children  of  God,  learn  that  lesson: 
"  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind  as  obedient  children,  not 
fashioning  yourselves  according  to  your  former  conversa- 
tion ;  but  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation."  Con- 
sider that  the  holy  God  is  your  father,  and  let  this  oblige 
you  to  live  like  the  children  of  God,  that  you  may  look 
your  Father  in  the  face  with  comfort  another  day. 


BUM  TAN'S  DYING  SAYINGS. 


BUNYAFS  DYING  SAYINGS. 


Sin  is  the  great  block  and  bar  to  our  happiness,  the 
procurer  of  all  miseries  to  man,  both  here  and  hereafter  ; 
take  away  sin,  and  nothing  can  hurt  us  ;  for  death  temporal, 
spiritual,  and  eternal,  is  the  wages  of  it. 

Sin,  and  man  for  sin,  is  the  object  of  the  wrath  of  God. 
How  dreadful  therefore  must  his  case  be  who  continues  in 
sin  ;  for  who  can  bear  and  grapple  with  the  wrath  of  God  ] 

No  sin  against  God  can  be  little,  because  it  is  against  the 
great  God  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  but  if  the  sinner  can  find 
out  a  little  God,  it  may  be  easy  to  find  out  little  sins. 

Sin  turns  all  God's  grace  into  wantonness  :  it  is  the  dare 
of  his  justice ;  the  rape  of  his  mercy ;  the  jeer  of  his  patience  ; 
the  slight  of  his  power  ;  and  the  contempt  of  his  love. 

Take  heed  of  giving  thyself  liberty  of  committing  one 
sin,  for  that  will  lead  thee  to  another  ;  till  by  an  ill  custom 
it  become  natural. 

To  begin  sin  is  to  lay  a  foundation  for  a  continuance ; 
this  continuance  is  the  mother  of  custom,  and  impudence 
at  last  the  issue. 

The  death  of  Christ  giveth  us  the  best  discovery  of  our- 
selves ;  in  what  condition  we  were,  so  that  nothing  could 
help  us  but  that ;  and  the  most  clear  discovery  of  the 
dreadful  nature  of  our  sins.  For  if  sin  be  such  a  dreadful 
thing  as  to  wring  the  heart  of  the  Son  of  God,  how  shall  a 
poor  wretched  sinner  be  able  to  bear  it  ? 

OF  AFFLICTION. 

Nothing  can  render  affliction  so  heavy  as  the  load  of 
sin  ;  would  \  ou  therefore  be  fitted  for  afflictions,  be  sure 


270  bunyan's  dying  sayings. 

to  get  the  burden  of  your  sins  laid  aside,  and  then  what 
afflictions  soever  you  meet  with  will  be  very  easy  to 
you. 

If  thou  canst  hear  and  bear  the  rod  of  affliction  which 
God  shall  lay  upon  thee,  remember  this  lesson,  thou  art 
beaten  that  thou  mayst  be  better. 

The  Lord  useth  his  flail  of  tribulation  to  separate  the 
chaff  from  the  wheat. 

The  school  of  the  cross  is  the  school  of  light  ;  it  dis- 
covers the  world's  vanity,  baseness,  and  wickedness,  and  lets 
us  see  more  of  God's  mind.  Out  of  dark  affliction  comes  a 
spiritual  light. 

In  times  of  affliction  we  commonly  meet  with  the  sweet- 
est experiences  of  the  love  of  God. 

Did  we  heartily  renounce  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  we 
should  be  very  little  troubled  for  our  afflictions ;  that 
which  renders  an  afflicted  state  so  insupportable  to  many, 
is  because  they  are  too  much  addicted  to  the  pleasures  of 
this  life  ;  and  so  cannot  endure  that  which  makes  a  separa- 
tion between  them. 

OF  REPENTANCE  AND  COMING  TO  CHRIST. 

The  end  of  affliction  is  the  discovery  of  sin  ;  and  of  that 
to  bring  us  to  the  Saviour  ;  let  us  therefore,  with  the  prodi- 
gal, return  unto  him,  and  we  shall  find  ease  and  rest. 

A  returning  penitent,  though  formerly  bad  as  the  wo»st 
of  men,  may  by  grace  become  as  good  as  the  best. 

To  be  truly  sensible  of  sin,  is  to  sorrow  for  displeasing  of 
God  :  to  be  afflicted,  that  he  is  displeased  by  us  more  than 
that  he  is  displeased  with  us. 

Your  intentions  to  repentance,  and  the  neglect  of  that 
soul-saving  duty,  will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  you. 

Repentance  carries  with  it  a  divine  rhetoric,  and  per- 
suades Christ  to  forgive  multitudes  of  sins  committed 
against  him. 

Say  not  to  thyself,  to-morrow  I  will  repent ;  for  it  is  thy 
duty  to  do  it  daily. 

The  gospel  of  grace  and  salvation  is  above  all  doctrines 


BUNYAN  S  DYING  SAYINGS.  271 

Vhe  most  dangerous,  if  it  be  received  in  word  only  by  grace- 
less men  ;  if  it  be  not  attended  with  a  sensible  need  of  a 
Saviour,  and  bring  them  to  him  ;  for  such  men  only  as 
have  the  notion  of  it,  are  of  all  men  most  miserable  ;  for  by 
reason  of  their  knowing  more  than  heathens,  this  shall  only 
be  their  final  portion,  that  they  shall  have  greater  stripes. 

OF  PRAYER. 

Before  you  enter  into  prayer,  ask  thy  soul  these  ques- 
tions, 1.  To  what  end,  0  my  soul  !  art  thou  retired  into 
this  place  I  Art  thou  come  to  converse  with  the  Lord  in 
prayer  1  Is  he  present,  will  he  hear  thee  ?  Is  he  merciful, 
will  he  help  thee  \  Is  thy  business  slight,  is  it  not  concern- 
ing the  welfare  of  thy  soul  ?  What  words  wilt  thou  use  to 
move  him  to  compassion  ? 

To  make  thy  preparation  complete,  consider  that  thou 
art  but  dust  and  ashes  ;  and  he  the  great  God,  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  clothes  himself  with  light  as  with  a 
garment  ;  that  thou  art  a  vile  sinner,  and  lie  a  holy  God  ; 
that  thou  art  but  a  poor  crawling  worm,  and  he  the  om- 
nipotent Creator. 

In  all  your  prayers,  forget  not  to  thank  the  Lord  for  his 
mercies. 

When  thou  prayest,  rather  let  thy  heart  be  without 
words  than  thy  words  without  heart. 

Prayer  will  make  a  man  cease  from  sin,  or  sin  will  en- 
tice a  man  to  cease  from  prayer. 

The  spirit  of  prayer  is  more  precious  than  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver. 

Pray  often,  for  prayer  is  a  shield  to  the  soul,  a  sacrifice 
to  God,  and  a  scourge  for  Satan. 

OF  THE  LORD'S-DAYS,  SERMONS,  AND  WEEK-DAYS. 

Have  a  special  care  to  sanctify  the  Lord's-day  ;  for  as 
thou  keepest  it,  so  will  it  be  with  thee  all  the  week  long. 

Make  the  Lord's-day  the  market  for  thy  soul  ;  let  the 
whole  day  be  spent  in  prayer,  repetitions,  or  meditations  ; 


272  BUNYAN'3  DYING  SAYIXGS. 

lay  aside  the  affairs  of  the  other  parts  of  the  week  ;  let  the 
sermon  thou  hast  heard  he  converted  into  prayer :  shall 
God  allow  thee  six  days,  and  wilt  thou  not  afford  him  one? 

In  the  church,  be  careful  to  serve  God  ;  for  thou  art  in 
bis  eyes,  and  not  in  man's. 

Thou  mayst  hear  sermons  often,  and  do  well  in  practis- 
ing what  thou  nearest  ;  but  thou  must  not  expect  to  be  told 
in  a  pulpit  all  that  xthou  oughtest  to  do,  but  be  studious  in 
reading  the  Scriptures,  and  other  good  books  ;  what  thou 
nearest  may  be  forgotten,  but  what  thou  readest  may  better 
he  retained. 

Forsake  not  the  public  worship  of  God,  lest  God  forsake 
thee  ;  not  only  in  public,  but  in  private. 

On  the  week-day,  when  thou  risest  in  the  morning,  con- 
sider, 1.  Thou  must  die  ;  2.  Thou  mayst  die  that  minute  ; 
3.  What  will  become  of  thy  soul.  Pray  often.  At  night 
consider,  1.  What  sins  thou  hast  committed  ;  2.  How  often 
thou  hast  prayed  ;  3.  What  hath  thy  mind  been  bent 
■upon  ;  4.  What  hath  been  thy  dealing  ;  5.  What  thy 
conversation  ;  6.  If  thou  callest  to  mind  the  errors  of  the 
day,  sleep  not  without  a  confession  to  God,  and  a  hope  of 
pardon.  Thus,  every  morning  and  evening  make  up  thy 
account  with  Almighty  God,  and  thy  reckoning  will  be 
the  less  at  last. 

OF  THE  LOVE  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Nothing  more  hinders  a  soul  from  coming  to  Christ  than 
a  vain  love  of  the  world;  and  till  a  soul  is  freed  from  it,  it 
can  never  have  a  true  love  for  God. 

What  are  the  honours  and  riches  of  this  world,  when 
compared  to  the  glories  of  a  crown  of  life  ? 

Love  not  the  world,  for  it  is  a  moth  in  a  Christian's  life. 

To  despise  the  world  is  the  way  to  enjoy  heaven  ;  and 
blessed  are  they  who  delight  to  converse  with  God  by  prayer. 

What  folly  can  be  greater  than  to  labour  for  the  meat 
that  perisheth,  and  neglect  the  food  of  eternal  life  ? 

God  or  the  world  must  be  neglected  at  parting  time,  for 
then  is  the  time  of  trial. 


BB»¥AK'a  DYING  SAYINGS.  273 

To  seek  yourself  in  this  life  is  to  be  lost;  and  to  be 
humble  is  to  be  exalted. 

The  epicure  that  delighteth  in  the  dainties  of  this  world, 
little  thinketh  that  those  very  creatures  will  one  day  wit- 
ness against  him. 

ON  SUFFERING. 

It  is  not  every  suffering  that  makes  a  man  a  martyr  ; 
but  suffering  for  the  Word  of  God  after  a  right  manner ; 
that  is,  not  only  for  righteousness,  but  for  righteousness' 
sake  ;  not  only  for  truth,  but  out  of  love  to  truth  ;  not  only 
for  God's  Word,  but  according  to  it  :  to  wit,  in  that  holy, 
humble,  meek  manner,  as  the  Word  of  God  requireth. 

It  is  a  rare  thing  to  suffer  aright,  and  to  have  my 
spirit  in  suffering  bent  against  God's  enemy,  sin.  Sin  in 
doctrine,  sin  in  worship,  sin  in  life,  and  sin  in  conversation. 

Neither  the  devil,  nor  men  of  the  world,  can  kill  thy  right- 
eousness, or  love  to  it,  but  by  thy  own  hand  ;  or  separate 
that  and  thee  asunder,  without  thy  own  act.  Nor  will  he 
that  doth  indeed  suffer  for  the  sake  of  it,  or  out  of  love  he 
bears  thereto,  be  tempted  to  exchange  it  for  the  good  will 
of  the  whole  world. 

I  have  often  thought  that  the  best  of  Christians  are 
found  in  the  worst  times  :  and  I  have  thought  again,  that 
one  reason  why  we  are  not  better  is,  because  God  purges 
us  no  more.  Noah  and  Lot,  who  so  holy  as  they  in  the 
time  of  their  afflictions  !  and  yet,  who  so  idle  as  they  in 
the  time  of  their  prosperity  ? 

OF  DEATH  AND  JUDGMENT. 

As  the  devil  labours  by  all  means  to  keep  out  other 
things  that  are  good,  so  to  keep  out  of  the  heart  as  much 
as  in  him  lies,  the  thoughts  of  passing  out  of  this  life  into 
another  world  ;  for  he  knows  if  he  can  but  keep  them  from 
the  serious  thoughts  of  death,  he  shall  the  more  easily  keep 
them  in  their  sins. 

Nothing  will  make  us  more  earnest  in  working  out  the 
work  of  our  salvation  than  a  frequent  meditation  of  mor- 


274  bunyan's  dying  sayings. 

tality ;  nothing  hath  a  greater  influence  for  the  taking  off  our 
hearts  from  vanities,  and  for  the  Begetting  in  us  desires 
for  holiness. 

0  !  sinner,  what  a  condition  wilt  thou  fall  into  when  thou 
departest  this  world  ;  if  thou  depart  unconverted,  thou 
hadst  better  have  been  smothered  the  first  hour  thou  wast 
born  ;  thou  hadst  better  have  been  plucked  one  limb  from 
the  other  ;  thou  hadst  better  have  been  made  a  dog,  a  toad,  a 
serpent,  than  to  die  unconverted  ;  and  this  thou  wilt  find 
true  if  thou  repent  not. 

A  man  would  be  counted  a  fool  to  slight  a  judge  before 
whom  he  is  to  have  a  trial  of  his  whole  estate.  The  trial 
we  are  to  have  before  God  is  of  other  guise  importance ;  it 
concerns  our  eternal  happiness  or  misery,  and  yet  dare  we 
affront  him. 

The  only  way  for  us  to  escape  that  terrible  judgment  is 
to  be  often  passing  a  sentence  of  condemnation  upon  our- 
selves here. 

When  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  shall  be  heard,  which 
shall  summon  the  dead  to  appear  before  the  tribunal  of 
God,  the  righteous  shall  hasten  out  of  their  graves  with 
joy  to  meet  their  Redeemer  in  the  clouds  ;  others  shall  call 
to  the  mountains  and  hills  to  fall  upon  them,  to  cover  them 
from  the  sight  of  their  judge  ;  let  us,  therefore,  in  time  be 
posing  ourselves  which  of  the  two  we  shall  be. 

OF  THE  JOYS  OF  HEAVEN. 

There  is  no  good  in  this  life  but  what  is  mingled  with 
some  evil  :  honours  perplex,  riches  disquiet,  and  pleasures 
ruin  health.  But  in  heaven  we  shall  find  blessings  in  their 
purity,  without  any  ingredient  to  imbitter  ;  with  every- 
thing to  sweeten  it. 

0  !  who  is  able  to  conceive  the  inexpressible,  incon- 
ceivable joys  that  are  there  !  None  but  they  who  have 
tasted  of  them.  Lord,  help  us  to  put  such  a  value  upon 
them  here,  that  in  order  to  prepare  ourselves  for  them,  we 
may  be  willing  to  forego  the  loss  of  all  those  deluding  plea- 
sures here. 


BUNTAN  S  TYING  SAYINGS.  275 

How  will  the  heavens  echo  for  joy,  when  the  hride,  the 
Lamb's  wife,  shall  come  to  dwell  with  her  husband  for 
ever ! 

Christ  is  the  desire  of  nations,  the  joy  of  angels,  the  de- 
light of  the  Father  ;  what  solace  then  must  the  soul  be 
filled  with,  that  hath  the  possession  of  him  to  all  eternity  ! 

0  !  what  acclamations  of  joy  will  there  be,  when  all  the 
children  of  God  shall  meet  together,  without  fear  of  being 
disturbed  by  the  anti-Christian  and  Cainish  brood. 

Is  there  not  a  time  coining  when  the  godly  may  ask  the 
wicked,  what  profit  they  have  in  their  pleasure  1  what 
comfort  in  their  greatness  ?  and  what  fruit  in  all  their 
labour  ? 

If  you  would  be  better  satisfied  what  the  beatifical  vision 
moans,  my  request  is,  that  you  would  live  holily  and  go 
snd  see. 

OF  THE  TORMENTS  OF   HELL. 

Heaven  and  salvation  is  not  surely  more  promised  to 
the  godly,  than  hell  and  damnation  is  threatened  to,  and 
shall  be  executed  on,  the  wicked. 

Oli  !  who  knows  the  power  of  God's  wrath  1  None  but 
damned  ones. 

Sinners'  company  are  the  devil  and  his  angels,  tormented 
in  everlasting  fire  with  a  curse. 

Hell  would  be  a  kind  of  paradise,  if  it  were  no  worse 
than  the  worst  of  this  world. 

As  different  as  grief  is  from  joy,  as  torment  from  rest,  as 
terror  from  peace  ;  so  different  is  the  state  of  sinners  from 
that  of  saints  in  the  world  to  come. 


aN  exhortation 

TO 

PEACE  AND   UNITY. 


We  deem  it  proper  to  state,  that,  though  .  .0  following  Treatise  on 
Christian  Union  appears  in  nearly  all  the  collected  editions  ot  Bunyan's 
Works,  yet  its  genuineness  has  been  called  in  question  by  the  Rev.  Mr 
Philip  in  his  admirable  work,  "  The  Life  and  Times  of  Human."  Without 
here  entering  into  this  question,  we  have  separately  appended  it  to  the 
Works  of  Bunyan  in  this  volume,  and  trust  that  it  will  not  prove  unaccept- 
able to  our  readers,  especially  considering  the  efforts  that  are  now  being 
made  to  promote  the  living  union  of  all  true  Christians  who  hold  it' 
on<?  Lord,  the  one  faitri.  and  the  nne  baptism. 


AN  EXHORTATION 

TO 

PEACE  AND   UNITY. 


Endeavouring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace. — Ephesians  iv.  3. 

Beloved,  religion  is  the  great  bond  of  human  society ;  and 
it  were  well  if  itself  were  kept  within  the  bond  of  unity  ; 
and  that  it  may  so  be,  let  us,  according  to  the  text,  use  our 
utmost  endeavours  "  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace." 

These  words  contain  a  counsel  and  a  caution  :  the  coun- 
sel is,  That  we  endeavour  the  unity  of  the  Spirit ;  the  cau- 
tion is,  That  we  do  it  in  the  bond  of  peace ;  as  if  I  should 
eay,  I  would  have  you  live  in  unity,  but  yet  I  would  have 
you  to  be  careful  that  you  do  not  purchase  unity  with  the 
breach  of  charity. 

Let  us  therefore  be  cautious  that  we  do  not  so  press  after 
unity  in  practice  and  opinion  as  to  break  the  bond  of  peace 
and  affection. 

In  the  handling  of  these  words,  I  shall  observe  this  me- 
thod. 

I.  I  shall  open  the  sense  of  the  text. 

II.  I  shall  shew  wherein  this  unity  and  peace  consist. 

III.  I  shall  shew  you  the  fruits  and  benefits  of  it,  to- 
gether with  nine  inconveniences  and  mischiefs  that  attend 
those  churches  where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting. 

IV.  And,  lastly,  I  shall  give  you  twelve  directions  and 
motives  for  the  obtaining  of  it. 


280  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

1.  As  touching  the  sense  of  the  text,  when  we  are  coun- 
selled to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  we  are  not  to  under- 
stand the  Spirit  of  God,  as  personally  so  considered ;  because 
the  Spirit  of  God,  in  that  sense,  is  not  capable  of  being  di- 
vided, and  so  there  would  be  no  need  for  us  to  endeavour  to 
keep  the  unity  of  it. 

By  the  unity  of  the  spirit  then,  we  are  to  understand 
that  unity  of  mind  which  the  Spirit  of  God  calls  for,  and 
requires  Christians  to  endeavour  after  ;  hence  it  is  that  we 
are  exhorted,  by  one  spirit,  with  one  mind,  to  strive  to- 
gether for  the  faith  of  the  gospel ;  Phil.  i.  27. 

But  farther,  the  apostle  in  these  words  alludes  to  the 
state  and  composition  of  a  natural  body,  and  doth  thereby 
inform  us,  that  the  mystical  body  of  Christ  holds  an  ana- 
logy with  the  natural  body  of  man  :  as,  1.  In  the  natural 
body  there  must  be  a  spirit  to  animate  it ;  for  the  body 
without  the  spirit  is  dead  ;  James  ii.  26.  So  it  is  in  the 
mystical  body  of  Christ ;  the  apostle  no  sooner  tells  of 
that  one  body,  but  he  minds  us  of  that  one  Spirit  ;  Eph. 
iv.  4. 

2.  The  body  hath  joints  and  bands  to  unite  all  the  parts  ; 
so  hath  the  mystical  body  of  Christ ;  Col.  ii.  19.  This  is 
that  bond  of  peace  mentioned  in  the  text,  as  also  in  the  1 6th 
verse  of  the  same  chapter,  where  the  whole  body  is  said  to 
be  fitly  joined  together,  and  compacted,  by  that  which  every 
joint  supplieth. 

3.  The  natural  body  receives  counsel  and  nourishment 
from  the  head  ;  so  doth  the  mystical  body  of  Christ  ;  he  is 
their  counsellor,  and  him  they  must  hear ;  he  is  their  head, 
and  him  they  must  hold  :  hence  it  is  that  the  apostle  com- 
plaineth,  Col.  ii.  19,  of  some  that  did  not  hold  the  head 
from  which  the  whole  body  by  joints  and  bands  hath  nou- 
rishment. 

4.  The  natural  body  cannot  well  subsist,  if  either  the 
spirit  be  wounded  or  the  joints  broken  or  dislocated  ;  the 
body  cannot  bear  a  wounded  or  broken  spirit — "  A  broken 
spirit  drieth  the  bones  ;"  Pro  v.  xvii.  22,  and  "  A  wounded 
spirit  who  can  bear  ?"  Pro  v.  xviii.  14.     And,  on  the  other 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  281 

hand,  how  often  have  the  disjointing  of  the  body,  and  the 
breakings  thereof,  occasioned  the  expiration  of  the  spirit  ? 
In  like  manner  it  fares  with  the  mystical  body  of  Christ ; 
how  do  divided  spirits  break  the  bonds  of  peace,  which 
are  the  joints  of  this  body  ?  And  how  do  the  breakings 
of  the  body  and  church  of  Christ  wound  the  spirit  of 
Christians,  and  oftentimes  occasion  the  spirit  and  life  of 
Christianity  to  languish,  if  not  to  expire.  How  needful  is 
it  then  that  we  endeavour  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond 
of  peace  ! 

II.  I  now  come  to  shew  you  wherein  this  unity  and 
peace  consists  ;  and  this  I  shall  demonstrate  in  five  particu- 
lars. 

1 .  This  unity  and  peace  may  consist  with  the  ignorance 
of  many  truths,  and  in  the  holding  of  some  errors;  or 
else  this  duty  of  peace  and  unity  could  not  be  practicable 
by  any  on  this  side  perfection  :  but  we  must  now  endea- 
vour the  unity  of  the  spirit,  till  we  come  to  the  unity  of 
the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  Eph. 
iv.  13.  Because  now,  as  the  apostle  saith,  "  We  know  in 
part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part,"  and  "'Now  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly  ;"  1  Cor.  xiii.  9,  12.  And  as  this  is  true  in 
general,  so  we  may  find  it  true  if  we  descend  to  particu- 
lar instances.  The  disciples  seem  to  be  ignorant  of  that 
great  truth  which  they  had  often,  and  in  much  plainness, 
been  taught  by  their  Master  once  and  again,  viz.,  that  his 
kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  and  that  in  the  world  they 
should  suffer  and  be  persecuted;  yet  in  the  1st  of  the  Acts, 
ver.  6,  we  read,  that  they  asked  of  him  if  he  would  at 
this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?  thereby  discover- 
ing that  Christ's  kingdom  (as  they  thought)  should  con- 
sist in  his  temporal  jurisdiction  over  Israel,  which  they 
expected  should  now  commence  and  take  place  amongst 
them.  Again,  our  Lord  tells  them,  that  he  had  many 
tilings  to  say  (and  these  were  many  important  truths) 
which  they  could  not  now  bear  ;  John  xvi.  12.  And  that 
these  were  important  truths,  appear  by  the  10th  and  11th 
verses,  where  he  is  discoursing  of  righteousness  and  judg- 


2o2  AX  EXilOltTATJOX  TO 

ment,  and  then  adds,  that  lie  had  yet  many  things  to  say 
which  they  could  not  hear  ;  and  thereupon  promises  the 
Comforter  to  lead  them  into  all  truth  ;  which  implies, 
that  they  were  yet  ignorant  of  many  truths,  and  conse- 
cruently  held  divers  errors  ;  and  yet  for  all  this,  he  prays 
for,  and  presses  them  to,  their  great  duty  of  peace  and 
unity  ;  John  xiv.  27  ;  xvii.  21.  To  this  may  be  added 
that  of  Heb.  v.  11,  where  the  author  saith,  he  had  many 
things  to  say  of  the  priestly  office  of  Christ,  which  by  rea- 
son of  their  dulness  they  were  not  capable  to  receive  ;  as 
also  that  in  the  10th  of  the  Acts,  where  Peter  seems  to  he 
ignorant  of  the  truth,  viz.,  that  the  gospel  was  to  be 
preached  to  all  nations  ;  and  contrary  hereunto,  he  erred 
in  thinking  it  unlawful  to  preach  amongst  the  Gentiles. 
I  shall  add  two  texts  more,  one  in  Acts  xix.,  where  we 
read  that  those  disciples  which  had  been  discipled  and 
baptized  by  John  were  yet  ignorant  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  knew  not  (as  the  text  tells  us)  whether  there  were 
any  Holy  Ghost  or  no  ;  though  John  did  teach  constantly, 
that  he  that  should  come  after  him  should  baptize  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire.  From  hence  we  may  easily  and 
plainly  infer,  that  Christians  may  be  ignorant  of  many 
truths,  by  reason  of  weak  and  dull  capacities,  and  other 
such  like  impediments,  even  while  those  truths  are  with 
much  plainness  delivered  to  them.  Again,  we  read,  Heb. 
v.  13,  of  some  that  were  unskilful  in  the  word  of  right- 
eousness, who  nevertheless  are  called  babes  in  Christ,  and 
with  whom  unity  and  peace  is  to  be  inviolably  kept  and 
maintained. 

2.  As  this  unity  and  peace  may  consist  with  the  ignor- 
ance of  many  truths,  and  with  the  holding  some  errors, 
so  it  must  consist  with  (and  it  cannot  consist  without)  the 
believing  and  practising  those  things  which  are  necessary 
to  salvation  and  church-communion  ;  and  they  are,  1st, 
Believing  that  Christ  the  Son  of  God  died  for  the  sins  of 
men.  2d,  That  whoever  believeth  ought  to  be  baptized. 
The  third  thing  essential  to  this  communion,  is  a  holy  and 
a  blameless  conversation. 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  283 

(1.)  That  believing-  that  the  Son  of  God  died  for  the  sins 
of  men  is  necessary  to  salvation,  I  prove  by  these  texts, 
which  tell  us,  that  he  that  doth  not  believe  shall  be  damned, 
Mark  xvi.  16  ;  John  iii.  36  ;  Rom.  x.  !). 

That  it  is  also  necessary  to  church-communion  appeal's 
from  Matt.  xvi.  16-18.  Pet?r  having  confessed  that 
Christ  was  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  Christ  thereupon 
assures  Peter,  that  upon  this  rock,  viz.,  this  profession  of 
faith,  or  this  Christ  which  Peter  had  confessed,  he  would 
build  his  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail 
against  it.  And,  1  Cor.  iii.  11,  the  apostle  having  told  the 
Corinthians  that  they  were  God's  building,  presently  adds, 
that  they  could  not  be  built  upon  any  foundation  but  upon 
that  which  was  laid,  which  was  Jesus  Christ.  All  which 
proves,  that  Christian  society  is  founded  upon  the  profes- 
sion of  Christ  ;  and  not  only  scripture,  but  the  laws  of 
right  reason,  dictate  this,  that  some  rules  and  orders  must 
be  observed  for  the  founding  all  society,  which  must  be 
consented  to  by  all  that  will  be  of  it.  Hence  it  comes  to 
pass,  that  to  own  Christ  as  the  Lord  and  head  of  Chris- 
tians is  essential  to  the  founding  of  Christian  society. 

(2.)  The  Scriptures  have  declared,  that  this  faith  gives 
the  professors  of  it  a  right  to  baptism,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
eunuch,  Acts  viii.  When  he  demanded  why  he  might  not 
be  baptized,  Philip  answered,  that  if  he  believed  with  all 
Ids  heart,  he  might.  The  eunuch  thereupon  confessing 
Christ,  was  baptized. 

Now,  that  baptism  is  essential  to  church-communion,  I 
prove  from  1  Cor.  xii.,  where  we  shall  find  the  apostle 
labouring  to  prevent  an  evil  use  that  might  be  made  of 
spiritual  gifts,  as  thereby  to  be  puffed  up,  and  to  think 
that  such  as  wanted  them  were  not  of  the  body,  or  to  be 
esteemed  members  :  he  thereupon  resolves,  that  whoever 
did  confess  Christ,  and  own  him  for  his  head,  did  it  by  the 
Spirit,  ver.  3,  though  they  might  not  have  such  a  visible 
manifestation  of  it  as  others  had,  and  therefore  they  ought 
to  be  owned  as  members,  as  appears,  ver.  23.  iVnd  not  only 
because  they  have  called  him  Lord  by  the  Spirit,  but  be- 


£84  AN   EXHORTATION   TO 

cause  they  have,  by  the  guidance  and  direction  of  the  same 
Spirit,  been  baptized,  ver.  13,  "  For  by  one  Spirit  we  are 
all  baptized  into  one  body,"  &c.  I  need  not  go  about  to 
confute  that  notion  that  some  of  late  have  bad  of  this  text, 
viz.,  that  the  baptism  herd  spoken  of  is  the  baptism  of  the 
Spirit,  because  you  have  not  owned  and  declared  that 
notion  as  your  judgment,  but  on  the  contrary,  all  of  you 
that  I  have  ever  conversed  with,  have  declared  it  to  be 
understood  of  baptism  with  water,  by  the  direction  of  the 
Spirit:  If  so,  then  it  follows,  that  men  and  women  are 
declared  members  of  Christ's  body  by  baptism,  and  cannot 
be  by  scripture  reputed  and  esteemed  so  without  it ;  which 
farther  appears  from  Rom.  vi.  5,  where  men  by  baptism 
are  said  to  be  "  planted "  into  the  likeness  of  his  death  ; 
and  Col.  ii.  12,  we  are  said  to  be  "buried  with  him"  by 
baptism.  All  which,  together  with  the  consent  of  all 
Christians  (some  few  in  these  later  times  excepted),  do 
prove  that  baptism  is  necessary  to  the  initiating  persons 
into  the  Chinch  of  Christ. 

(3.)  Holiness  of  life  is  essential  to  church-communion, 
because  it  seems  to  be  the  reason  why  Christ  founded  a 
church  in  the  world,  viz.,  that  men  might  thereby  be 
watched  over,  and  kept  from  falling  ;  and  that  if  any  he 
overtaken  with  a  fault,  he  that  is  spiritual  might  restore 
him,  tbat  by  this  means  men  and  women  might  he  preserved 
without  blame  to  the  coming  of  Christ ;  and  the  grace  of 
God  teacheth  us  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
and  to  live  soberly  and  uprightly  in  this  present  evil  world*; 
Tit.  ii.  11,  12.  "  And  let  every  one  that  nameth  the  name 
of  Christ,  depart  from  iniquity  ;"  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  And  James 
tells  us  (speaking  of  the  Christian  religion),  that  "pure  re- 
ligion, and  undefiled  before  God,  is  this,  To  visit  the  father- 
less and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  ourselves 
unspotted  from  the  world ;"  James  i.  27.  From  all  which 
(together  with  many  more  texts  that  might  be  produced) 
it  appears,  that  an  unholy  and  profane  life  is  inconsistent 
with  Christian  religion  and  society  ;  and  that  holiness  is 
essential  to  salvation  and  church-communion.      So  that 


PEACE  AM)  UNITY.  285 

these  three  things,  faith,  baptism,  and  a  holy  life,  as  I  said 
before,  all  churches  must  agree  and  unite  in,  as  those  things 
which,  when  wanting,  will  destroy  their  being.  And  let 
not  any  think,  that  when  I  say,  believing  the  Son  of  God 
died  for  the  sins  of  men  is  essential  to  salvation  and 
church-communion,  that  I  hereby  would  exclude  all  other 
articles  of  the  Christian  creed  as  not  necessary ;  as  the  belief 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment,  &c, 
which,  for  want  of  time,  I  omit  to  speak  particularly  to, 
and  the  rather,  because  I  understand  this  great  article  of  be- 
lieving the  Son  of  God  died  for  the  sins  of  men  is  compre- 
hensive of  all  others,  and  is  that  from  whence  all  other 
articles  may  easily  be  inferred. 

And  here  I  would  not  be  mistaken,  as  though  I  held 
there  was  nothing  else  for  Christians  to  practise,  when  I 
say  this  is  all  that  is  requisite  to  church-communion  ;  for 
I  very  well  know,  that  Christ  requires  many  other  things 
of  us,  after  we  are  members  of  his  body,  which,  if  we 
knowingly  or  maliciously  refuse,  may  be  the  cause,  not 
only  of  excommunication,  but  damnation.  But  yet  these 
are  such  things  as  relate  to  the  well-being  and  not  to  the 
being  of  churches  ;  as  laying  on  of  hands  in  the  primitive 
times  upon  believers,  by  which  they  did  receive  the  gifts 
of  the  Spirit :  This,  I  say,  was  for  the  increase  and  edify- 
ing of  the  body,  and  not  that  thereby  they  might  become 
of  the  body  of  Christ,  for  that  they  were  before.  And  do 
not  think  that  I  believe  laying  on  of  hands  was  no  apos- 
tolical institution,  because  I  say  men  are  not  thereby  made 
members  of  Christ's  body,  or  because  I  say  that  it  is  not 
essential  to  church-communion.  Why  should  I  be  thought 
to  be  against  a  fire  in  the  chimney,  because  I  say  it  must 
not  be  in  the  thatch  of  the  house  ?  Consider,  then,  how 
pernicious  a  thing  it  is  to  make  every  doctrine  (though 
true)  the  bond  of  communion  ;  this  is  that  which  destroys 
unity,  and  by  this  rule  all  men  must  be  perfect  before 
they  can  be  in  peace  :  for  do  we  not  see  daily,  that  as 
soon  as  men  come  to  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  mind 
of  God  (to  say  the  best  of  what  they  hold),  that  presently 


286  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

all  men  are  excommunicable,  if  not  damnable,  that  do  not 
agree  with  them.  Do  not  some  believe  and  see  that  to  be 
pride  and  covetousness,  which  others  do  not,  because  (it 
may  be)  they  have  more  narrowly  and  diligently  searched' 
into  their  dut}^  of  these  things  than  others  have  ?  What 
then  ?  Must  all  men  that  have  not  so  large  acquaintance 
of  their  duty  herein  be  excommunicated  ?  Indeed  it  were 
to  be  wished  that  more  moderation  in  apparel  and  secular  con- 
cernments were  found  among  churches  :  but  God  forbid,  that 
if  they  should  come  short  herein,  that  we  should  say,  as  one 
lately  said,  that  he  could  not  communicate  with  such  a  people, 
because  they  were  proud  and  superfluous  in  their  apparel. 

Let  me  appeal  to  such,  and  demand  of  them,  if  there  was 
not  a  time,  since  they  believed  and  were  baptized,  wherein 
they  did  not  believe  laying  on  of  hands  a  duty  1  and  did 
they  not  then  believe,  and  do  they  not  still  believe,  they 
were  members  of  the  body  of  Christ '?  And  was  not  there 
a  time  when  you  did  not  so  well  understand  the  nature  and 
extent  of  pride  and  covetousness  as  now  you  do  ?  And  did 
you  not  then  believe,  and  do  you  not  still  believe,  that  you 
were  true  members  of  Christ,  though  less  perfect  1  Why  then 
should  you  not  judge  of  those  that  differ  from  you  herein, 
as  you  judged  of  yourselves  when  you  were  as  they  now 
are  ?  How  needful  then  is  it  for  Christians  to  distinguish 
(if  ever  they  would  be  at  peace  and  unity)  between  those 
truths  which  are  essential  to  church-communion,  and  those 
that  are  not  ? 

.3.  Unity  and  peace  consists  in  all  as  with  one  shoulder 
practising  and  putting  in  execution  the  things  we  do  know  ; 
Phil.  iii.  16.  "  Nevertheless,  whereto  we  have  already  at- 
tained, let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  and  mind  the  same 
thing."  How  sad  is  it  to  see  our  zeal  consume  us  and  our 
precious  time  in  things  doubtful  and  disputable,  while  Ave 
are  not  concerned  nor  affected  with  the  practice  of  those 
indisputable  things  we  all  agree  in  !  We  all  know  charity 
to  be  the  great  command,  and  yet  how  few  agree  to  prac- 
tise it  ?  We  all  know  they  that  labour  in  the  word  and 
doctrine   are  worthy  of  double   honour ;   and    that   God 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  £87 

hath  ordained,  that  they  which  preach  the  gospel  should 
live  of  the  gospel.  These  duties,  however  others  have  cavil- 
led at  them,  I  know  you  agree  in  them,  and  are  persuaded 
of  your  duty  therein  :  but  where  is  your  zeal  to  practise  1 
0  how  well  would  it  he  with  churches,  if*  they  were  but  half 
as  zealous  for  the  great,  and  plain,  and  indisputable  things, 
and  the  more  chargeable  and  costly  things  of  religion,  as  they 
are  for  things  doubtful  or  less  necessary,  or  for  things  that 
.ire  no  charge  to  them,  and  cost  them  nothing  but  the 
breath  of  contention,  though  that  may  be  too  great  a  price 
for  the  small  things  they  purchase  with  it ! 

But  further,  Do  we  not  all  agree,  that  men  that  preach 
the  gospel  should  do  it  like  workmen  that  need  not  be 
ashamed  ?  and  yet  how  little  is  this  considered  by  many 
preachers,  who  never  consider  before  they  speak  of  what 
they  say,  or  whereof  they  affirm  !  How  few  give  themselves 
to  study  that  they  may  be  approved  !  How  few  meditate 
and  give  themselves  to  these  things,  that  their  profiting  may 
appear  to  all  ! 

For  the  Lord's  sake  let  us  unite  to  practise  those  things 
we  know  ;  and  if  we  would  have  more  talents,  let  us  all 
agree  to  improve  those  we  have. 

See  the  spirit  that  was  among  the  primitive  professors, 
that  knowing  and  believing  how  much  it  concerned  them  in 
the  propagating  of  Christianity,  to  shew  forth  love  to  one 
another  (that  so  all  might  know  them  to  be  Christ's  dis- 
ciples), rather  than  there  should  be  any  complainings  among 
them,  they  sold  all  they  had.  0  how  zealous  were  these  to 
practise,  and  as  with  one  shoulder  to  do  that  that  was  upon 
their  hearts  for  God  !  I  might  further  add,  how  often  have 
we  agreed  in  our  judgment  .'  and  hath  it  not  been  upon  our 
hearts,  that  this  and  the  other  thing  is  good  to  be  done,  to 
enlighten  the  dark  world,  and  to  repair  the  breaches  of 
churches,  and  to  raise  up  those  churches  that  now  lie  gasp- 
ing, and  among  whom  the  soul  of  religion  is  expiring  ?  But 
what  do  we  more  than  talk  of  them  1  Do  not  most  decline 
these  things,  when  they  either  call  for  their  purses  or  their 
nersons  to  help  in  this  and  such  like  works  as  these  1     Let 


288  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

\is  then,  in  what  we  know,  unite,  tkat  we  may  put  it  iu 
practice,  remembering,  that  if  we  know  these  things,  we 
shall  he  happy  if  we  do  them. 

4.  This  unity  and  peace  consists  in  our  joining  and  agree- 
ing to  pray  for,  and  to  press  after,  those  truths  we  do  not 
know.  The  disciples  in  the  primitive  times  were  conscious 
of  their  imperfections,  and  therefore  they  with  one  accord 
continued  in  prayer  and  supplications.  If  we  were  more  in 
the  sense  of  our  ignorance  and  imperfections,  we  should 
carry  it  hetter  towards  those  that  differ  from  us  :  then  we 
should  abound  more  in  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  forbear- 
ance, that  thereby  we  might  bring  others  (or  be  brought  by 
others)  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  :  this  would  make  us 
go  to  God,  and  say  with  Elihu,  Job  xxxiv.  32,  "  That 
which  we  know  not,  teach  thou  us."  Brethren,  did  we  but 
all  agree  that  we  were  erring  in  many  things,  we  should 
soon  agree  to  go  to  God,  and  pray  for  more  wisdom  and  re- 
velation of  his  mind  and  will  concerning  us. 

But  here  is  our  misery,  that  we  no  sooner  receive  any 
thing  for  truth,  but  we  presently  ascend  the  chair  of  infa- 
libility  with  it,  as  though  in  this  we  could  not  err :  hence 
it  is  we  are  impatient  of  contradiction,  and  become  unchari- 
table to  those  that  are  not  of  the  same  mind  ;  but  now  a 
consciousness  that  we  may  mistake,  or  that  if  my  brother 
err  in  one  thing,  I  may  err  in  another  ;  this  will  unite  us 
in  affection,  and  engage  us  to  press  after  perfection,  accord- 
ing to  that  of  the  apostle  ;  Phil.  iii.  13-15,  "  Brethren,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended  :  But  this  one 
thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before 
I  press  toward  the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  cal 
ling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  if  in  any  thing  ye  b 
otherwise  minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto  you. 
0  then  that  we  could  but  unite  and  agree  to  go  to  Gc  1 
for  one  another,  in  confidence  that  he  will  teach  us  ;  and 
that  if  any  one  of  us  want  wisdom  (as  who  of  us  does  not), 
we  might  agree  to  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liber- 
ally, and  upbraideth  no  man  !     Let  us,  like  those  people 


PEACE  AND  UNITY. 

spoken  of  in  the  2d  of  Isaiah,  say  to  one  another,  "  Come, 
let  ns  go  to  the  Lord,  for  he  will  teach  ns  of  his  ways,  and 
we  will  walk  in  his  paths." 

5.  This  unity  and  peace  mainly  consists  in  unity  of  love 
and  affection  :  thia  is  the  great  and  indispensable  duty  of 
all  Christians  ;  by  thia  they  are  declared  Christ's  discipi  ->  : 
And  hence  it  is  that  love  is  called  "the  great  command- 
ment," "the  old  commandment,"  and  "the  new  command- 
ment ;"  that  which  was  commanded  in  the  beginning,  and 
wilt  remain  to  the  end,  yea,  and  after  the  end.  1  C or.  xiii. 
8,  "  Charity  never  faileth  ;  hut  whether  there  be  tongues, 
they  shall  cease  ;  or  whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  sliall 
vanish  away."  And  ver.  13,  "And  now  abideth  faith, 
hope,  charity  ;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  charity."  And 
Col.  iii.  14,  "  Above  all  these  things,  put  on  charity,  which 
is  the  bond  of  perfectness  ;"  because  charity  is  the  end  of 
the  commandment,  1  Tim.  i.  5.  Charity  is  therefore  called 
"  the  royal  law  ;"  as  though  it  had  a  superintendency  over 
other  laws,  and  doubtless  is  a  law  to  which  other  laws 
must  uive  place,  when  they  come  in  competition  with  it  ; 
"  above  all  things,  therefore,  have  fervent  charity  among 
vourselves  ;  for  charity  shall  cover  the  multitude  of  sins  ;" 
1  Pet.  iv.  8.  Let  us  therefore  live  in  unity  and  peace,  and 
the  God  of  love  and  peace  will  be  with  us. 

That  you  may  so  do,  let  me  remind  you  (in  the  words  of 
a  learned  man),'  that  the  unity  of  the  church  is  a  unity  of 
love  and  affection,  and  not  a  bare  uniformity  of  practice 
and  opinion. 

III.  Having  shewn  you  wherein  this  unity  consists,  I 
now  come  to  the  third  general  thing  propounded  :  and  that 
is,  to  shew  you  the  fruits  and  benefits  of  unity  and  peace, 
too-oth^r  with  the  mischiefs  and  inconveniences  that  attend 
those  churches  where  unity  and  peace  are  wanting. 

1.  Unity  and  peace  is  a  duty  well-pleasing  to  God,  who 
is  styled  the  author  of  peace  and  not  of  confusion.  In  all 
the  'churches  God's  Spirit  rejoiceth  in  the  unity  of  our 
spirits  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  where  strife  and  divisions 
are,  there  the  Spirit  of  God  is  grieved.     Hence  it  is  that  the 


290  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

apostle  no  sooner  calls  upon  the  Ephesians  not  to  grieve  the 
Spirit  of  God,  but  he  presently  subjoins  us  a  remedy  against 
that  evil,  that  they  put  away  bitterness  and  evil-speaking, 
and  be  kind  one  to  another,  and  tender-hearted,  forgiving 
one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven 
them  ;  Eph.  iv.  30,  32. 

2.  As  unity  and  peace  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  rejoiceth 
his  Spirit,  so  it  rejoiceth  the  hearts  and  spirits  of  God's 
people.  Unity  and  peace  brings  heaven  down  upon  earth 
among  us  :  hence  it  is  that  the  apostle  tells  us,  Rom.  iv. 
17,  that  "the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but 
righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Where  unity  and  peace  is,  there  is  heaven  upon  earth  ;  by 
this  we  taste  the  first  fruits  of  that  blessed  estate  we  shall 
one  day  live  in  the  fruition  of ;  when  we  shall  come  "  to 
the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,  whose 
names  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  judge  of  all, 
and  to  the  spirits  of  j  list  men  made  perfect ;"  Ileb.  xii.  23. 

This  outward  peace  of  the  church  (as  a  learned  man 
observes)  distils  into  peace  of  conscience,  and  turns  writ- 
ings and  readings  of  controversy  into  treatises  of  mortifica- 
tion and  devotion. 

And  the  Psalmist  tells  us,  that  it  is  not  only  good,  but 
pleasant  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity,  Psalm 
exxxiii.  But  where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  there  are 
storms  and  troubles  ;  "  where  envy  and  strife  is,  there  is 
confusion  and  every  evil  work;"  James  iii.  16.  It  is  the 
outward  peace  of  the  church  that  incrcaseth  our  inward 
joy  ;  and  the  peace  of  God's  house  gives  us  occasion  to  eat 
our  meat  with  gladness  in  our  own  houses,  Acts  ii.  46. 

3.  The  unity  and  peace  of  the  church  makes  communion 
of  saints  desirable.  What  is  it  that  embitters  church-com- 
munion, and  makes  it  burdensome,  but  divisions?  Have 
you  not  heard  many  complain,  that  they  are  weary  of 
church-communion,  because  of  chuvch-eontention?  but  now 
where  unity  and  peace  is,  there  Christians  long  for  com- 
munion. 

David  saith,  that  he  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  him, 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  291 

"Let  us  go  to  the  house  of  God  ;"  Psalm  cxxii.  1.  Why 
-was  this,  but  because  (as  the  third  verse  tells  us)  Jerusalem 
was  a  city  compact  together,  where  the  tribes  went  up,  the 
tribes  of  the  Lord,  to  give  thanks  to  his  name  '?  And  David, 
speaking  of  the  man  that  was  once  his  friend,  doth  thereby 
let  us  know  the  benefit  of  peace  and  unity  ;  Psalm  Iv.  14. 
"  We,"  saith  he,  "  took  sweet  counsel  together,  and  walked 
to  the  house  of  God  in  company."  Where  unity  is  strongest, 
communion  is  sweetest  and  most  desirable.  You  see  then 
that  peace  and  union  fills  the  people  of  God  with  desires 
after  communion  :  but,  on  the  other  hand,  hear  how  David 
complains,  Psalm  cxx.,  "  Wo  is  me,  that  I  sojourn  in  Me- 
sech,  and  that  I  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Kedar."  The  Psalmist 
here  is  thought  to  allude  to  a  sort  of  men  that  dwelt  in  the 
deserts  of  Arabia,  that  got  their  livings  by  contention  ;  and 
therefore  he  adds,  ver.  6,  that  his  soul  had  long  dwelt  with 
them  that  hated  peace.  This  was  that  which  made  him 
long  for  the  courts  of  God,  and  esteem  one  day  in  his  house 
better  than  a  thousand.  This  made  his  soul  even  faint  for 
the  house  of  God,  because  of  the  peace  of  it  ;  "  Blessed  are 
they,"  saith  he,  "  that  dwell  in  thy  house,  they  will  be  still 
praising  thee."  There  is  a  certain  note  of  concord,  as  ap- 
pears, Acts  ii.,  where  we  read  of  primitive  Christians,  meet- 
ing with  one  accord,  praising  God. 

4.  Where  unity  and  peaee  is,  there  many  mischiefs  and 
inconveniences  are  prevented,  which  attend  those  people 
where  peace  and  unity  are  wanting :  and  of  those  many 
that  might  be  mentioned,  I  shall  briefly  insist  upon  these 
nine. 

1.  Where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  there  is  much 
precious  time  spent  to  no  purpose.  How  many  days  are 
spent,  and  how  many  fruitless  journeys  made  to  no  profit, 
where  the  people  are  not  in  peace  ?  How  often  have  many 
redeemed  time  (even  in  seed-time  and  harvest)  when  they 
could  scarce  afford  it,  to  go  to  church,  and,  by  reason  of 
their  divisions,  come  home  worse  than  they  went,  repenting 
they  have  spent  so  much  precious  time  to  so  little  benefit  ? 
How  sad  is  it  to  see  men  spend  their  precious  time,  in  which 


292  AX  EXIIOUTATIOX   TO 

they  should  -work  out  their  salvation,  in  labouring,  as  in 
the  fire,  to  prove  an  uncertain  and  doubtful  proposition, 
and  to  trifle  away  their  time,  in  which  they  should  make 
their  calling  and  election  sure,  to  make  sure  of  an  opinion, 
which,  when  they  have  done  all,  they  are  not  infallibly 
sure  whether  it  be  true  or  no,  because  all  things  necessary 
to  salvation  and  church-communion  are  plainly  laid  down 
in  scripture,  in  which  we  may  be  infallibly  sure  of  the 
truth  of  them  ;  but  for  other  things  that  we  have  no  plain 
texts  for,  but  the  truth  of  them  depends  upon  our  interpre- 
tations, here  we  must  be  cautioned,  that  we  do  not  spend 
much  time  in  imposing  those  upon  others,  or  venting  those 
among  others,  unless  we  can  assume  infallibility,  otherwise 
we  spend  time  upon  uncertainty.  And  whoever  casts  their 
eyes  abroad,  and  do  open  their  ears  to  intelligence,  shall 
both  see,  and  to  their  sorrow  hear,  that  many  churches 
spend  most  of  their  time  in  jangling  and  contending  about 
those  things  which  are  neither  essential  to  salvation  nor 
church-communion  ;  and  that  which  is  worse,  about  such 
doubtful  questions  which  they  are  never  able  to  give  an  in- 
fallible solution  of.  But  now  where  unity  and  peace  is, 
there  our  time  is  spent  in  praising  God  ;  and  in  those  great 
questions,  What  we  should  do  to  be  saved  ?  and,  How  we 
may  be  more  holy  and  more  humble  towards  God,  and  more 
charitable  and  more  serviceable  to  one  another  1 

2.  Where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  there  is  evil  sur- 
mising and  evil  speaking,  to  the  damage  and  disgrace,  if 
not  to  the  ruining,  of  one  another;  Gal.  v.  14,  15.  The 
whole  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself.  But  if  you  bite  and  devour  one  an- 
other, take  heed  you  be  not  consumed  one  of  another." 
No  sooner  the  bond  of  charity  is  broken,  which  is  as  a 
wall  about  Christians,  but  soon  they  begin  to  make  havock 
and  spoil  of  one  another ;  then  there  is  raising  evil  reports, 
and  taking  up  evil  reports,  against  each  other.  Hence  it  is 
that  whispering  and  backbiting  proceeds,  and  going  from 
house  to  house  to  blazon  the  faults  and  infirmities  of  others : 
hence  it  is  that  we  watch  for  the  haltings  of  one  another,  and 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  293 

do  inwardly  rejoice  at  the  miscarriages  of  others,  saying  in 
our  hearts,  "  Ha !  ha !  so  we  would  have  it :"  but  now  where 
unity  and  peace  is,  there  is  charity  ;  and  where  charity  is, 
there  we  are  willing  to  hide  the  faults,  and  cover  the  naked- 
ness, of  our  brethren.  "  Charity  thinketh  no  evil  ;"  1  Cor. 
xiii.  5  ;  and  therefore  it  cannot  surmise,  neither  will  it 
speak  evil. 

3.  Where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  there  can  he  no 
great  matters  enterprised — we  cannot  do  much  for  God, 
nor  much  for  one  another ;  when  the  devil  would  hinder 
the  bringing  to  pass  of  good  in  nations  and  churches,  he  di- 
vides their  counsels  (and  as  one  well  observes),  he  divides 
their  heads,  that  he  may  divide  their  hands;  when  Jacob 
had  prophesied  of  the  cruelty  of  Simon  and  Levi,  who 
were  brethren,  he  threatens  them  with  the  consequent  of 
it ;  Gen.  xlix.  7,  "  I  will  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter 
them  in  Israel."  The  devil  is  not  to  learn  that  maxim  he 
hath  taught  the  Machiavellians  of  the  world,  Divide  et  im- 
perii ;  divide  and  rule.  It  is  an  united  force  that  is  formi- 
dable. Hence  the  spouse  in  the  Canticles  is  said  to  be  but 
one,  and  the  only  one  of  her  mother  ;  Cant.  vi.  9.  Here  • 
upon  it  is  said  of  her,  ver.  10,  "  That  she  is  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners."  What  can  a  divided  army  do,  or  a 
disordered  army  that  have  lost  their  banners,  or  for  fear  or 
shame  thrown  them  away  ?  In  like  manner,  what  can 
Christians  do  for  Christ,  and  the  enlarging  of  his  dominions 
in  the  world,  in  bringing  men  from  darkness  to  light,  while 
themselves  are  divided  and  disordered  \  Peace  is  to  Chris- 
tians as  great  rivers  are  to  some  cities,  which  (besides  other 
benefits  and  commodities)  are  natural  fortifications  by  . 
reason  whereof  those  plaees  are  made  impregnable  ;  but 
when,  by  the  subtilty  of  an  adversary  or  the  folly  of  the 
citizens,  these  waters  come  to  be  divided  into  little  petty 
rivulets,  how  soon  are  they  assailed  and  taken  ?  Thus  it 
fares  with  churches,  when  once  the  devil  or  their  own  folly 
divides  them,  they  will  be  so  far  from  resisting  of  him,  that 
they  will  be  soon  subjected  by  him. 

Peace  is  to  churches  as  walla  to  a  city  ;  nay,  unity  hath 


294  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

defended  cities  that  had  no  -walls.  It  was  once  demanded 
of  xigesilaus,  why  Lacedemon  had  no  walls  ;  he  answers 
(pointing  back  to  the  city),  That  the  concord  of  the  citizens 
was  the  strength  of  the  city.  In  like  manner,  Christians 
are  strong  when  united ;  then  they  are  more  capable  to  re- 
sist temptation,  and  to  succour  such  as  are  tempted.  When 
unity  and  peace  is  among  the  churches,  then  are  they  like 
a  walled  town  ;  and  when  peace  is  the  church's  walls,  sal- 
vation will  be  her  bulwarks. 

Plutarch  tells  us  of  one  Silurus  that  had  eighty  sons, 
whom  he  calls  to  him  as  he  lay  upon  his  death-bed,  and 
gave  them  a  sheaf  of  arrows,  thereby  to  signify,  that  if 
they  lived  in  unity,  they  might  do  much,  but  if  they  di- 
vided, they  would  come  to  nothing.  If  Christians  were 
all  of  one  piece,  if  they  were  all  but  one  lump,  or  but  one 
sheaf  or  bundle,  how  great  are  the  things  they  might  do 
for  Christ  and  his  people  in  the  world,  whereas  otherwise 
they  can  do  little  but  dishonour  him,  and  offend  his  ! 

It  is  reported  of  the  leviathan,  that  his  strength  is  in  his 
scales  ;  Job  xli.  15-17,  "  His  scales  are  his  pride,  shut  up 
together  as  with  a  close  seal ;  one  is  so  near  to  another,  that 
no  air  can  come  between  them  :  they  are  joined  together, 
they  stick  together,  they  cannot  be  sundered."  If  the 
church  of  God  were  united  like  the  scales  of  the  leviathan, 
it  would  not  be  every  brain-sick  notion,  nor  angry  specu- 
lation, that  would  cause  its  separation. 

Solomon  saith,  "  Two  are  better  than  one,"  because,  if 
one  fall,  the  other  may  raise  him  ;  then  surely  twenty  are 
better  than  two,  and  an  hundred  are  better  than  twenty, 
for  the  same  reason  ;  because  they  are  more  capable  to 
help  one  another.  If  ever  Christians  would  do  any  thing 
to  raise  up  the  fallen  tabernacles  of  Jacob,  and  to  strengthen 
the  weak,  and  comfort  the  feeble,  and  to  fetch  back  those 
that  have  gone  astray,  it  must  be  by  unity. 

We  read  of  the  men  of  Babel,  Gen  xi.  6,  "  The  Lord 
said,  Behold,  the  people  are  one,  &c,  and  now  nothing  will 
be  restrained  from  them  that  they  have  imagined  to  do." 

We  learn  by  reason,  what  great  things  may  be  done  in 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  2.4*0 

worldly  achievements  where  unity  is  ;  and  shall  not  rea- 
son (assisted  with  the  motives  of  religion)  teach  us,  that 
unity  among  Christians  may  enable  them  to  enterprise 
greater  things  for  Christ  ?  Would  not  this  make  Satan 
fall  from  heaven  like  lightning  1  For  as  unity  built  literal 
Babel,  it  is  unity  that  must  pull  down  mystical  Babel. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  where  divisions  are,  there  is  con- 
fusion ;  by  this  means  a  Babel  hath  been  built  in  every 
age.  It  hath  been  observed  by  a  learned  man — and  I  wish 
I  could  not  say  truly  observed — that  there  is  most  of  Babel 
and  confusion  among  those  that  cry  out  most  against  it. 

Would  we  have  a  hand  to  destroy  Babylon  1  let  us  have 
a  heart  to  unite  one  among  another. 

Our  English  histories  tell  us,  that  after  Austin  the  monk 
had  been  some  time  in  England,  he  heard  of  some  of  the 
remains  of  the  British  Christians,  which  he  convened  to 
a  place  which  Cambden  in  his  Britannia  calls  "  Austin's 
Oak."  Here  they  met  to  consult  about  matters  of  religion  ; 
but  such  was  their  division,  by  reason  of  Austin's  imposing 
spirit,  that  our  stories  tell  us  that  synod  was  only  famous 
for  this,  that  they  only  met  and  did  nothing.  This  is  the 
mischief  of  divisions — they  hinder  the  doing  of  much  good  ; 
and  if  Christians  that  are  divided  be  ever  famous  for  any 
thing,  it  will  be,  that  they  have  often  met  together,  and 
talked  of  this  and  the  other  thing,  but  they  did  nothing. 

4.  Where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  there  the  weak 
are  wounded,  and  the  wicked  are  hardened.  Unity  may 
well  be  compared  to  precious  oil.  Psalm  exxxiii.  2.  It  is 
the  nature  of  oil  to  heal  that  which  is  wounded,  and  to 
soften  that  which  is  hard.  Those  men  that  have  hardened 
tliemselves  against  God  and  his  people,  when  they  shall 
behold  unity  and  peace  among  them,  will  say,  God  is  in 
them  indeed  :  and  on  the  other  hand,  are  they  not  ready  to 
say,  when  they  see  you  divided,  That  the  devil  is  in  you 
that  you  cannot  agree  ! 

5.  Divisions  and  want  of  peace  keep  those  out  of  the 
church  that  would  come  in  j  and  cause  many  to  go  out 
that  are  in>, 

y 


296  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

"  The  divisions  of  Christians  (as  a  learned  man  observes) 
are  a  scandal  to  the  Jews,  an  opprobrium  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  an  inlet  to  atheism  and  infidelity  :"  insomuch  that  our 
controversies  about  religion  (especially  as  they  have  been 
of  late  managed)  have  made  religion  itself  become  a  con- 
troversy. 0  then,  how  good  and  pleasant  a  thing  is  it  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity  !  The  peace  and  unity 
that  was  among  the  primitive  Christians  drew  others  to 
them.  What  hinders  the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  but  the 
divisions  of  Christians  1  Must  I  be  a  Christian  1  says  the 
Jew.  What  Christian  must  I  be  ?  what  sect  must  I  be  of  ] 
The  Jews  (as  one  observes),  glossing  upon  that  text  in  Isa. 
xi.  6,  where  it  is  prophesied,  That  the  lion  and  the  lamb 
shall  lie  down  together,  and  that  there  shall  be  none  left  to 
hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  God's  holy  mountain  :  they  inter- 
preting these  sayings  to  signify  the  concord  and  peace  that 
shall  be  among  the  people  that  shall  own  the  Messiah,  do 
from  hence  conclude,  that  the  Messiah  is  not  yet  come, 
because  of  the  contentions  and  divisions  that  are  among 
those  that  profess  him.  And  the  apostle  saith,  1  Cor. 
xiv.  23,  that  if  an  unbeliever  should  see  their  disorders, 
he  would  say  they  were  mad ;  but  where  unity  and  peace  is, 
there  the  churches  are  multiplied.  We  read,  Acts  ix.,  that 
when  the  churches  had  rest,  they  multiplied  ;  and  Acts  ii. 
46,  47,  when  the  church  was  serving  God  with  one  accord, 
"  the  Lord  added  to  them  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 

It  is  unity  brings  men  into  the  church,  and  divisions 
keep  them  out.  It  is  reported  of  an  Indian,  passing  by  the 
house  of  a  Christian,  and  hearing  them  contending,  being 
desired  to  turn  in,  he  refused,  saying,  "  Habamach  dwells 
there,"  meaning  that  the  devil  dwelt  there  :  but  where  unity 
and  peace  is,  there  God  is  ;  and  he  that  dwells  in  love, 
dwells  in  God.  The  apostle  tells  the  Corinthians,  that  if 
they  walked  orderly,  even  the  unbelievers  would  hereby  be 
enforced  to  come  and  worship,  and  say,  God  was  in  them  in- 
deed. And  we  read,  Zech.  viii.  23,  of  a  time  when  ten  men 
shall  take  hold  of  a  Jew,  and  sayi,  "  We  will  go  with  you, 
for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you," 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  297 

And  hence  it  is  that  Christ  prays,  John  xvii.  21,  that  his 
disciples  might  be  one,  as  the  Father  and  he  were  one,  that 
the  world  might  believe  the  Father  sent  him :  as  if  he 
Bhould  say,  you  may  preach  me  as  long  as  you  will,  and 
to  little  purpose,  if  you  are  not  at  peace  and  unity  among 
yourselves.  Such  was  the  unity  of  Christians  in  former 
days,  that  the  intelligent  heathen  would  say  of  them,  that 
though  they  had  many  bodies,  yet  they  had  but  one  soul. 
And  we  read  the  same  of  them,  Acts  iv.  32,  that  "  the  multi- 
tude of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and  one  soul." 

And  as  the  learned  Stillingfleet  observes  in  his  Ireni- 
cum  :  "  The  unity  and  peace  that  was  then  among  Chris- 
tians made  religion  amiable  in  the  judgment  of  impartial 
heathens :  Christians  were  then  known  by  the  benignity 
and  sweetness  of  their  dispositions,  by  the  candour  and 
ingenuity  of  their  spirits,  by  their  mutual  love,  forbear- 
ance, and  condescension  to  one  another.  But  either  this 
is  not  the  practice  of  Christianity  (viz.,  a  duty  that  Chris- 
tians are  now  bound  to  observe),  or  else  it  is  not  calcu- 
lated for  our  meridian,  where  the  spirits  of  men  are  of 
too  high  an  elevation  for  it ;  for  if  pride  and  uncharita- 
bleness,  if  divisions  and  strifes,  if  wrath  and  envy,  if 
animosities  and  contentions,  were  but  the  marks  of  true 
Christians,  Diogenes  need  never  light  his  lamp  at  noon  to 
find  out  such  among  us ;  but  if  a  spirit  of  meekness, 
gentleness,  and  condescension,  if  a  stooping  to  the  weaknesses 
and  infirmities  of  one  another,  if  pursuit  after  peace,  when 
it  flies  from  us,  be  the  indispensable  duties,  and  characteris- 
tical  notes  of  Christians,  it  may  possibly  prove  a  difficult 
inquest  to  find  out  such  among  the  crowds  of  those  that 
shelter  themselves  under  that  glorious  name." 

It  is  the  unity  and  peace  of  churches  that  brings  others 
to  them,  and  makes  Christianity  amiable.  What  is  pro- 
phesied of  the  church  of  the  Jews  may  in  this  case  be  ap- 
plied to  the  Gentile  church,  Isa.  lxvi.  12,  that  when  once 
God  extends  peace  to  her  like  a  river,  the  Gentiles  shall 
come  in  like  a  flowing  stream ;  then  (and  not  till  then)  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon  his  churches,  and  his 


298  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

glory  shall  be  seen  among  them  •  then  shall  their  hearts  fear 
and  be  enlarged,  because  the  abundance  of  the  nations  shall 
be  converted  to  them. 

6.  As  want  of  unity  and  peace  keeps  those  out  of  the 
church  that  would  come  in,  so  it  hinders  the  growth  of 
those  that  are  in.  Jars  and  divisions,  wranglings  and  pre- 
judices, eat  out  the  growth,  if  not  the  life  of  religion.  These 
are  those  waters  of  Marah,  that  embitter  our  spirits,  and 
quench  the  Spirit  of  God.  Unity  and  peace  is  said  to  be 
like  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  as  a  dew  that  descended 
upon  Sion,  where  the  Lord  commanded  his  blessing ;  Psalm 
cxxxiii.  3. 

Divisions  run  religion  into  briars  and  thorns,  contentions 
and  parties.  Divisions  are  to  churches  like  wars  in  coun- 
tries :  where  wars  are,  the  ground  lieth  waste  and  untilled, 
none  takes  care  of  it.  It  is  love  that  edifieth,  but  division 
pulleth  down.  Divisions  are  as  the  north-east  wind  to  the 
fruits,  which  causeth  them  to  dwindle  away  to  nothing  ; 
but  when  the  storms  are  over,  every  thing  begins  to  grow. 
When  men  are  divided,  they  seldom  speak  the  truth  in 
love  ;  and  then  no  marvel  they  grow  not  up  to  him  in  all 
things,  who  is  the  head. 

It  is  a  sad  presage  of  an  approaching  famine  (as  one 
well  observes),  not  of  bread  nor  water,  but  of  hearing 
the  word  of  God,  when  the  thin  ears  of  corn  devour  the 
plump  full  ones  ;  when  the  lean  kine  devour  the  fat  ones  ; 
when  our  controversies  about  doubtful  things,  and  things 
of  less  moment,  eat  up  our  zeal  for  the  more  indisputable 
and  practical  things  in  religion  :  which  may  give  us  cause 
to  fear,  that  this  will  be  the  character  by  which  our  age 
will  be  known  to  posterity — that  it  was  the  age  that  talked 
of  religion  most,  and  loved  it  loast. 

Look  upon  those  churches  where  peace  is,  and  there  you 
shall  find  prosperity.  When  the  churches  had  rest,  they 
were  not  only  multiplied,  but,  walking  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  and  the  comforts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  were  edi- 
fied ;  it  is  when  the  whole  body  is  knit  together,  as  with 
joints  and  bands,  that  they  increase  with  the  increase  of  God, 


PEACE  AND  UNITY. 


We  are  at  a  stand  sometimes,  why  there  is  so  little  growth 
among  churches,  why  men  have  been  so  long  in  learning, 
and  are  yet  so  far  from  attaining  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth  ;  some  have  given  one  reason,  and  some  another  ; 
some  say  pride  is  the  cause,  and  others  say  covetousness  is 
the  cause.  I  wish  I  could  say  these  were  no  causes  ;  but  I 
observe,  that  when  God  entered  his  controversy  with  his 
people  of  old,  he  mainly  insisted  upon  some  one  sin,  as 
idolatry,  and  shedding  innocent  blood,  &c,  as  comprehen- 
sive of  the  rest  ;  not  but  that  they  were  guilty  of  other 
sins,  but  those  that  were  the  most  capital  are  particularly 
insisted  on  :  in  like  manner,  whoever  would  but  take  a 
review  of  churches  that  live  in  contentions  and  divisions, 
may  easily  find  that  breach  of  unity  and  charity  is  their 
capital  sin,  and  the  occasion  of  all  other  sins.  No  marvel 
then,  that  the  Scripture  saith,  the  whole  law  is  fulfilled  in 
love  :  and  if  so,  then  where  love  is  wanting,  it  needs  must 
follow  the  whole  law  is  broken.  It  is  where  love  grows 
cold  that  sin  abounds  ;  and  therefore  the  want  of  unity  and 
peace  is  the  cause  of  that  leanness  and  barrenness  that  is 
among  us  ;  it  is  true  in  spirituals  as  well  as  temporals,  that 
peace  brings  plenty. 

7.  Where  unity  and  peace  is  wanting,  our  prayers  are 
hindered  ;  the  promise  is,  that  what  we  shall  agree  to  ask 
shall  be  given  us  of  our  heavenly  Father :  no  marvel  we 
pray  and  pray,  and  yet  are  not  answered ;  it  is  because  we 
are  not  agreed  what  to  have. 

It  is  reported  that  the  people  in  Lacedemonia,  coming  to 
make  supplication  to  their  idol  god,  some  of  them  asked  for 
rain,  and  others  of  them  asked  for  fair  weather  :  the  oracle 
returns  them  this  answer,  That  they  should  go  first  and 
agree  among  themselves.  Would  a  heathen  god  refuse  to 
answer  such  prayers  in  which  the  supplicants  were  not 
agreed,  and  shall  we  think  the  true  God  will  answer  them  ? 

We  see  then  that  divisions  hinder  our  prayers,  and  lay 
a  prohibition  on  our  sacrifice  :  "  If  thou  bring  thy  gift  to 
the  altar,"  saith  Christ,  "  and  there  remember  that  thy 
brother  hath  aught  against  thee,  leave  thy  gift,  and  go,  and 


SOO  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer 
it."  So  that  want  of  unity  and  charity  hinders  even  our 
particular  prayers  and  devotions. 

This  hindered  the  prayers  and  fastings  of  the  people 
of  old  from  finding  acceptance  ;  Isa.  lviii.  3.  The  people 
ask  the  reason  wherefore  they  fasted,  and  God  did  not  see 
nor  take  notice  of  them.  He  gives  this  reason,  Because 
they  fasted  for  strife  and  debate,  and  hid  their  face  from 
their  own  flesh.  Again,  Isa.  lix.,  the  Lord  saith,  his  hand 
was  not  shortened,  that  he  could  not  save;  nor  his  ear 
heavy,  that  he  could  not  hear :  but  their  sins  had  separated 
between  their  God  and  them.  And  among  those  many  sins 
they  stood  chargeable  with,  this  was  none  of  the  least,  viz., 
that  the  way  of  peace  they  had  not  known.  You  see 
where  peace  was  wanting,  prayers  were  hindered,  both  un- 
der the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

The  sacrifice  of  the  people,  in  the  65th  of  Isaiah,  that  said, 
"  Stand  by  thyself,  I  am  holier  than  thou,"  was  a  smoke  in 
the  nostrils  of  the  Lord.  On  the  other  hand,  we  read  how 
acceptable  those  prayers  were  that  were  made  with  one  ac- 
cord, Acts  iv.  24,  compared  with  verse  31.  They  prayed 
with  one  accord,  and  they  were  all  of  one  heart,  and  of  one 
soul :  And  see  the  benefit  of  it,  "  They  were  all  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  spoke  the  word  with  all  boldness  ;" 
which  was  the  very  thing  they  prayed  for,  as  appears  verse 
29.  And  the  apostle  exhorts  the  husband  to  dwell  with  his 
wife,  that  their  prayers  might  not  be  hindered  ;  1  Pet.  iii. 
7.  We  see  then  want  of  unity  and  peace,  either  in  families 
or  churches,  is  a  hinderance  of  prayers. 

8.  It  is  a  dishonour  and  disparagement  to  Christ  that  his 
family  should  be  divided.  When  an  army  falls  into  mu- 
tiny and  division,  it  reflects  disparagement  on  him  that 
hath  the  conduet  of  it.  In  like  manner,  the  divisions  of 
families  are  a  dishonour  to  the  heads,  and  those  that  govern 
them.  And  if  so,  then  how  greatly  do  we  dishonour  our 
Lord  and  governor,  who  gave  his  body  to  be  broken  to 
keep  his  church  from  breaking,  who  prayed  for  their  peace 
and  unity,  and  left  peace  at  his  departing  from  them  for  a 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  301 

legacy,  even  a  peace  which  the  world  could  not  bestow  upon 
them. 

9.  Where  there  is  peace  and  unity,  there  is  a  sympathy 
with  each  other ;  that  which  is  the  want  of  one  will  be 
the  want  of  all.  "Who  is  afflicted,"  saith  the  apostle, 
"  and  I  burn  not  ? "  We  should  then  "  remember  them  that 
are  in  fronds,  as  bound  with  them  ;  and  them  which  suffer 
adversity,  as  being  ourselves  also  of  the  body  ;"  Heb.  xiii. 
3.  But  where  the  body  is  broken,  or  men  are  not  reck- 
oned or  esteemed  of  the  body,  no  marvel  we  are  so  little  af- 
fected with  such  as  are  afflicted.  Where  divisions  are, 
that  which  is  the  joy  of  the  one  is  the  grief  of  another ; 
but  where  unity  and  peace  and  charity  abound,  there  we 
shall  find  Christians  in  mourning  with  them  that  mourn,  and 
rejoicing  with  them  that  rejoice  ;  then  they  will  not  envy 
the  prosperity  of  others,  nor  secretly  rejoice  at  the  miseries 
or  miscarriages  of  any. 

IV.  Last  of  all,  I  now  come  to  give  you  twelve  directions 
and  motives  for  the  obtaining  peace  and  unity. 

1.  If  ever  we  would  live  in  peace  and  unity,  we  must 
pray  for  it.  We  are  required  to  seek  peace  :  of  whom  then 
can  we  seek  it  with  expectation  to  find  it,  but  of  him  who 
is  a  God  of  peace,  and  hath  promised  to  bless  his  people 
with  peace  1  It  is  God  that  hath  promised  to  give  his 
people  one  heart,  and  one  way  ;  yet  for  all  these  things  he 
will  be  sought  unto  :  0  then  let  us  seek  peace,  and  pray 
for  peace,  because  God  shall  prosper  them  that  love  it. 

The  peace  of  churches  is  that  which  the  apostle  prays  for 
in  all  his  epistles ;  in  which  his  desire  is,  that  grace  and 
peace  may  be  multiplied  and  increased  among  them. 

2.  They  that  would  endeavour  the  peace  of  the  churches, 
must  be  careful  who  they  commit  the  care  and  oversight 
of  the  churches  to  ;  as  (1.) — Over  and  besides  those  quali- 
fications that  should  be  in  all  Christians,  they  that  rule  the 
church  of  God  should  be  men  of  counsel  and  understand- 
ing. Where  there  is  an  ignorant  ministry,  there  is  com- 
monly an  ignorant  people,  according  as  it  was  of  old — Like 
priest  like  people. 


302  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

How  sad  is  it  to  see  the  church  of  God  committed  to  the 
care  of  such  that  pretend  to  he  teachers  of  others,  that  under- 
stand not  what  they  say,  or  whereof  they  affirm.  No  marvel 
the  peace  of  churches  is  hroken,  when  their  watchmen  want 
skill  to  preserve  their  unity,  which  of  all  other  things  is  as 
the  church's  walls  ;  when  they  are  divided,  no  wonder  they 
crumble  to  atoms,  if  there  is  no  skilful  physician  to  heal 
them.  It  is  sad  when  there  is  no  halm  in  Gilead,  and 
when  there  is  no  physician  there.  Hence  it  is,  that  the 
wounds  of  churches  hecome  incurahle,  like  the  wounds  of 
God's  people  of  old,  either  not  healed  at  all,  or  else  slightly 
healed,  and  to  no  purpose.  May  it  not  he  said  of  many 
churehes  at  this  day,  as  God  said  of  the  church  of  Israel, 
That  he  sought  for  a  man  among  them  that  should  stand 
in  the  gap,  and  make  up  the  breach  ;  but  he  found  none  ? 

Remember  what  was  said  of  old,  Mai.  ii.  7,  The  priest's 
lips  preserve  knowledge  :  and  the  people  should  seek  the 
law  at  his  mouth.  But  when  this  is  wanting,  the  people 
will  be  stumbling,  and  departing  from  God  and  one  another; 
therefore  God  complains,  Hos.  iv.  6,  That  his  people  were 
destroyed  for  want  of  knowledge  ;  that  is,  for  want  of 
knowing  guides ;  for  if  the  light  that  is  in  them  that  teach 
be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness  !  and  if  the  blind 
lead  the  blind,  no  marvel  both  fall  int*  the  ditch. 

How  many  are  there  that  take  upon  them  to  teach  others, 
that  had  need  be  taught  in  the  beginning  of  religion  ;  that 
instead  of  multiplying  knowledge,  multiply  words  without 
knowledge  ;  and  instead  of  making  knoAvn  God's  counsel, 
darken  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge  1  The  apostle 
speaks  of  some  that  did  more  than  darken  counsel ;  for 
they  wrested  the  counsel  of  God  ;  2  Pet.  iii.  16.  In  Paul's 
epistles,  saith  he,  "are  some  things  hard  to  be  understood, 
which  they  that  are  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest,  as  they 
do  also  the  other  scriptures,  to  their  own  destruction." 
Some  things  in  the  Scriptures  are  hard  to  be  known,  and 
they  are  made  harder  by  such  unlearned  teachers  as  utter 
their  own  notions  by  words  without  knowledge. 

None   are   more  bold   and   adventurous  to   take    upon 


PEACE  AND   UNITY. 

them  to  expound  the  dark  mysteries  and  sayings  of  the 
prophet*  and  Revelations,  and  the  9th  of  the  Romans 
which  I  believe  contains  some  of  those  many  things  which 
in  Paul's  epistles,  Peter  saith,  were  «  hard  to  be  under- 
stood ;  I  say  none  are  more  forward  to  dig  in  these  mines 
than  those  that  can  hardly  give  a  sound  reason  for  the  first 
principles  of  religion;  and  such  as  are  ignorant  of  many 
more  weighty  things  that  are  easily  to  he  seen  in  the  face 
and  superficies  of  the  Scripture  ;  nothing  will  serve  these 
but  swimming  m  the  deeps,  when  they  have  not  yet  learned 
to  wade  through  the  shallows  of  the  Scriptures:  like  the 
Gnosticks  of  old,  who  thought  they  knew  all  things,  though 
they  knew  nothing  as  they  ought  to  know.  And  as  those 
Gnosticks  did  of  old,  so  do  such  teachers  of  late  break  the 
unity  and  peace  of  churches. 

How  needful  then  is  it,  that  if  we  desire  the  peace  of 
churches,  that  we  choose  out  men  of  knowledge,  who  may 
be  able  to  keep  them  from  being  shattered  and  scattered 
with  every  wind  of  doctrine  :  and  who  may  be  able  to  con- 
vince and  stop  the  mouths  of  gainsayers. 

(2.)  You  must  not  only  choose  men  of  counsel,  but  if 
you  would  design  the  unity  and  peace  of  the  churches,  you 
must  choose  men  of  courage  to  govern  them  ;  for  as  there 
must  be  wisdom  to  bear  with  some,  so  there  must  be  courage 
to  correct  others  :  as  some  must  be  instructed  meekly  so 
others  must  be  rebuked  sharply,  that  they  may  be  sound 
in  the  faith  ;  there  must  be  wisdom  to  rebuke  some  with 
long-suffering,  and  there  must  be  courage  to  suppress  and 
stop  the  mouths  of  others.  The  apostle  tells  Titus  of  some 
whose  mouths  must  be  stopped,  or  else  they  would  subvert 
whole  houses,  Titus  i.  11.  Where  this  courage  hath  been 
wanting,  not  only  whole  houses,  but  whole  churches  have 
been  subverted.  And  Paul  tells  the  Galatians,  that  when 
he  saw  some  endeavour  to  bring  the  churches  into  bondage, 
that  he  did  not  give  place  to  them,  no  not  for  an  hour,  &c , 
Gal.  n.  o.  If  this  course  had  been  taken  by  the  rulers  of 
churches,  their  peace  had  not  been  so  often  invaded  by 
unruly  and  vain  talkers. 


304  AN   EXHORTATION  TO 

3.  In  choosing  men  to  rule  (if  you  would  endeavour  to 
keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  bond  of  peace  there- 
by), be  careful  you  choose  men  of  peaceable  dispositions. 
That  which  hath  much  annoyed  the  peace  of  churches 
hath  been  the  fro  ward  and  perverse  spirits  of  the  rulers 
thereof.  Solomon  therefore  adviseth,  That  with  a  furious 
man  we  should  not  go,  lest  we  learn  his  ways,  and  get  a 
snare  to  our  souls,  Prov.  xxii.  24,  25,  and  with  the  fro- 
ward  we  learn  frowardness.  How  do  some  men's  words 
eat  like  a  canker  ;  who  instead  of  lifting  up  their  voices  like 
a  trumpet  to  sound  a  parley  for  peace,  have  rather  sounded 
an  alarm  to  war  and  contention.  If  ever  we  would  live  in 
peace,  let  us  reverence  the  feet  of  them  that  bring  the  glad 
tidings  of  it. 

0  how  have  some  men  made  it  their  business  to  preach 
contentions,  and  upon  their  entertainment  of  every  novel 
opinion  to  preach  separation !  How  hath  God's  word 
been  stretched  and  torn  to  furnish  these  men  with  argu- 
ments to  tear  churches  !  Hvra  not  our  ears  heard  those 
texts  that  say,  "  Come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  se- 
parate," &c,  and  "Withdraw  from  every  brother  that  walks 
disorderly  V  I  say,  have  we  not  heard  these  texts  that 
were  written  to  prevent  disorder  brought  to  counte- 
nance the  greatest  disorder  that  ever  was  in  the  church  of 
God,  even  schism  and  division  1  whereas  one  of  these  ex- 
hortations was  written  to  the  church  of  Corinth,  to  sepa- 
rate themselves  from  the  idol's  temple,  and  the  idol's  table, 
in  which  many  of  them  lived  in  the  participation  of,  not- 
withstanding their  profession  of  the  true  God  ;  as  appears, 
2  Cor.  vi.  16,  17,  compared  with  1  Cor.  viii.  7,  and  as  1 
Cor.  x.  14,  20,  22,  recites  ;  and  not  for  some  few  or  more 
members,  who  shall  make  themselves  both  judges  and  par- 
ties to  make  separation,  when  and  as  often  as  they  please, 
from  the  whole  congregation  and  church  of  God,  where 
they  stood  related  ;  for  by  the  same  rule,  and  upon  the 
same  ground,  may  others  start  some  new  question  among 
these  new  separatists,  and  become  their  own  judges  of  the 
communicableness  of  them,  and  thereupon  make  another 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  305 

separation  from  these,  till  at  last  two  be  not  left  to  walk 
together.  And  for  that  other  text  mentioned,  2  Thess.  iii. 
6,  where  Paul  exhorts  the  church  of  Thessalonica  to  with- 
draw themselves  from  every  brother  that  walks  disorderly ; 
I  cannot  but  wonder  that  any  should  bring  this  to  justify 
their  separation  or  withdrawal  from  the  communion  of  a 
true  (though  a  disorderly)  church.     For, 

(1.)  Consider,  that  this  was  not  writ  for  a  few  members 
to  withdraw  from  the  church,  but  for  the  church  to  with- 
draw from  disorderly  members. 

(2.)  Consider,  that  if  any  offended  members,  upon  pre- 
tence of  error,  either  in  doctrine  or  practice,  should  by  this 
text  become  judges  (as  well  as  parties)  of  the  grounds  and 
lawfulness  of  their  separation  ;  then  it  will  follow,  that 
half  a  score  notorious  heretics,  or  scandalous  livers  (when 
they  have  walked  so  as  they  forsee  the  church  are  ready  to 
deal  with  them,  and  withdraw  from  them),  shall  anticipate 
the  church,  and  pretend  somewhat  against  them,  of  which 
themselves  must  be  judges,  and  so  withdraw  from  the 
church,  pretending  either  heresy  or  disorder  ;  and  so  con- 
demn the  church,  to  prevent  the  disgrace  of  being  con- 
demned by  the  church.  How  needful  then  is  it,  that  men 
of  peaceable  dispositions,  and  not  of  fro  ward  and  fractious 
and  dividing  spirits,  be  chosen  to  rule  the  church  of  God, 
for  fear  lest  the  whole  church  be  leavened  and  soured  by 
them  ! 

4.  As  there  must  be  care  used  in  choosing  men  to  rule 
the  church  of  God,  so  there  must  be  a  consideration  had, 
that  there  are  many  things  darkly  laid  down  in  scripture  ; 
this  will  temper  our  spirits,  and  make  us  live  in  peace  and 
unity  the  more  firmly  in  things  in  which  we  agree  ;  this 
will  help  us  to  bear  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfil  the 
law  of  Christ,  inasmuch  as  all  things  necessary  to  salvation 
and  church  communion  are  plainly  laid  down  in  scripture. 
And  where  things  are  more  darkly  laid  down,  we  should 
consider  that  God  intended  hereby  to  stir  up  our  diligence, 
that  thereby  we  might  increase  our  knowledge,  and  not 
oui-  divisions,  for  it  may  be  said  of  all  discoveries  of  truth 


306  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

we  have  made  in  the  Scriptures,  as  it  is  said  of  the  globe 
of  the  earth,  that  though  men  have  made  great  searches, 
and  thereupon  great  discoveries,  yet  there  is  still  a  terra 
incognita )  an  unknown  land  ;  so  there  is  in  the  Scrip- 
tures :  for  after  men  have  travelled  over  them,  one  age  after 
another,  yet  still  there  is,  as  it  were,  a  terra  incognita,  an 
unknown  track  to  put  us  upon  farther  search  and  inquiry, 
and  to  keep  us  from  censuring  and  falling  out  with  those 
who  have  not  yet  made  the  same  discoveries  ;  that  so  we 
may  say  with  the  Psalmist,  when  we  reflect  upon  our  short 
apprehensions  of  the  mind  of  God,  that  we  have  seen  an 
end  of  all  perfection,  but  God's  commands  are  exceeding 
broad  ;  and  as  one  observes,  speaking  of  the  Scriptures,  that 
there  is  a  path  in  them  leading  to  the  mind  of  God,  which 
lieth  a  great  distance  from  the  thoughts  and  apprehensions 
of  men.  And  on  the  other  hand,  in  many  other  places, 
God  sits,  as  it  were,  on  the  superficies,  and  the  face  of  the 
letter,  where  he  that  runs  may  discern  him  speaking  plainly, 
and  no  parable  at  all.  How  should  the  consideration  of 
this  induce  us  to  a  peaceable  deportment  towards  those  that 
differ  ! 

5.  If  we  would  endeavour  peace  and  unity,  we  must 
consider  how  God  hath  tempered  the  body,  that  so  the 
comely  parts  should  not  separate  from  the  uncomely,  as 
having  no  need  of  them  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  23-25.  There  is 
in  Christ's  body  and  house  some  members  and  vessels  less 
honourable  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  20.  And  therefore  we  should  not, 
as  some  now-a-days  do,  pour  the  more  abundant  disgrace, 
instead  of  putting  the  more  abundant  honour  upon  them. 
Did  we  but  consider  this,  we  should  be  covering  the  weak- 
ness, and  hiding  the  miscarriages  of  one  another,  because 
we  are  all  members  one  of  another,  and  the  most  useless 
member  in  his  place  is  useful. 

6.  If  we  would  live  in  peace,  let  us  remember  our  rela- 
tions to  God,  as  children  to  a  father,  and  to  each  other  as 
brethren.  Will  not  the  thoughts  that  we  have  one  Father, 
quiet  us ;  and  the  thoughts  that  we  are  brethren,  unite  us  ? 
It  was  this  that  made  Abraham  propose  terms  of  peaoe  to 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  307 

Lot ;  Gen.  xiii.,  "  Let  there  be  no  strife,"  saith  he,  "  between 
us,  for  we  are  brethren."  And  we  read  of  Moses,  in  Acts 
vii.  26,  using  this  argument  to  reconcile  those  that  strove 
together,  and  to  set  them  at  one  again  :  "  Sirs,"  saith  he, 
"  you  are  brethren,  why  do  you  wrong  one  another  V  A 
deep  sense  of  this  relation,  that  we  are  brethren,  would  keep 
us  from  dividing. 

7.  If  we  would  preserve  peace,  let  us  mind  the  gifts  and 
graces  and  virtues  that  are  in  each  other;  let  these  be 
more  in  our  eye  than  their  failings  and  imperfections. 
When  the  apostle  exhorted  the  Philippians  to  peace,  as  a 
means  hereunto,  that  so  the  peace  of  God  might  rule  in 
their  hearts,  he  tells  them,  iv.  8,  "  That  if  there  were  any 
virtue,  or  any  praise,  they  should  think  of  these  things." 
While  we  are  always  talking  and  blazoning  the  faults  of 
one  another,  and  spreading  their  infirmities,  no  marvel  we 
are  so  little  in  peace  and  charity ;  for  as  charity  covereth  a 
multitude  of  sins,  so  malice  covereth  a  multitude  of  virtues, 
and  makes  us  deal  by  one  another,  as  the  heathen  persecu- 
tors dealt  with  Christians,  viz.,  put  them  in  bears'  skins,  that 
they  might  the  more  readily  become  a  prey  to  those  dogs 
that  were  designed  to  devour  them. 

8.  If  we  would  keep  unity  and  peace,  let  us  lay  aside 
provoking  and  dividing  language,  and  forgive  those  that  use 
it.  Remember  that  old  saying,  "  Evil  words  corrupt 
good  manners."  When  men  think  to  carry  all  before  them, 
with  speaking  uncharitably  and  disgracefully  of  their 
brethren  or  their  opinions,  may  not  such  be  answered  as 
Job  answered  his  unfriendly  visitants,  Job  vi.  25,  "  How 
forcible  are  right  words ;  but  what  doth  your  arguing  re- 
prove ?"  How  healing  are  words  fitly  spoken  ?  A  word 
in  season,  how  good  is  it  ?  If  we  would  seek  peace,  let  us 
clothe  all  our  treaties  for  peace  with  acceptable  words;  and 
where  one  word  may  better  accommodate  than  another,  let 
that  be  used  to  express  persons  or  things  by ;  and  let  us 
not,  as  some  do,  call  the  different  practices  of  our  brethren, 
will-worship,  and  their  different  opinions,  doctrines  of 
devils,  and  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  fornication, 


308  AN  EXHORTATION  TO 

&c,  unless  we  can  plainly,  and  in  expressness  of  terms, 
prove  it  so.  Such  language  as  this  hath  strangely  divid- 
ed our  spirits,  and  hardened  our  hearts  one  towards  an- 
other. 

9.  If  we  would  live  in  peace,  let  us  make  the  best  con- 
structions of  one  another's  words  and  actions.  Charity 
judgeth  the  best,  and  it  thinks  no  evil;  if  words  and  ac- 
tions may  be  construed  to  a  good  sense,  let  us  never  put  a 
bad  construction  upon  them.  How  much  hath  the  peace 
of  Christians  been  broken  by  an  uncharitable  interpreta- 
tion of  words  and  actions  ?  As  some  lay  to  the  charge  of 
others  that  which  they  never  said,  so,  by  straining  men's 
words,  others  lay  to  their  charge  that  they  never  thought. 

10.  Be  willing  to  hear,  and  learn,  and  obey  those  that 
God  by  his  providence  hath  set  over  you ;  this  is  a  great 
means  to  preserve  the  unity  and  peace  of  churches  :  but 
when  men  (yea,  and  sometimes  women)  shall  usurp  autho- 
rity, and  think  themselves  wiser  than  their  teachers,  no 
wonder  if  these  people  run  into  contentions  and  parties, 
when  any  shall  say  they  are  not  free  to  hear  those  whom 
the  church  thinks  fit  to  speak  to  them.  This  is  the  first 
step  to  schism,  and  is  usually  attended,  if  not  timely  pre- 
vented, with  a  sinful  separation. 

11.  If  you  would  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace,  be  mindful,  that  the  God  whom  you  serve  is 
a  God  of  peace,  and  your  Saviour  is  a  Prince  of  peace,  and 
that  "  his  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  his  paths 
are  peace  ;"  and  that  Christ  was  sent  into  the  world  "  to 
give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow 
of  death,  and  to  guide  our  feet  in  the  way  of  peace." 

12.  Consider  the  oneness  of  spirit  that  is  among  the  ene- 
mies of  religion ;  though  they  differ  about  other  things,  yet 
to  persecute  religion,  and  extirpate  religion  out  of  the  earth, 
here  they  will  agree ;  the  devils  in  the  air,  and  the  devils 
in  the  earth,  all  the  devils  in  hell,  and  in  the  world,  make 
one  at  this  turn.  Shall  the  devil's  kingdom  be  united ;  and 
shall   Christ's  be  divided  ?      Shall   the   devils   make   one 


PEACE  AND  UNITY.  309 

shoulder  to  drive  on  the  design  of  damning  men,  and  shall 
not  Christians  unite  to  carry  on  the  great  design  of  saving 
of  them  ?  Shall  the  papists  agree  and  unite  to  carry  on 
their  interest,  notwithstanding  the  multitudes  of  orders,  de- 
grees, and  differences,  that  are  among  them  ;  and  shall  not 
those  that  call  themselves  reformed  churches,  unite  to  carry 
on  the  common  interest  of  Christ  in  the  world,  notwith- 
standing some  petty  and  disputable  differences  that  are 
among  them  1  Quarrels  about  religion  (as  one  observes) 
were  sins  not  named  among  the  Gentiles.  What  a  shame 
is  it  then  for  Christians  to  abound  in  them,  especially  con- 
sidering the  nature  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  what  large 
provisions  the  Author  of  it  hath  made,  to  keep  the  profes- 
sors of  it  in  peace  !  insomuch  (as  one  well  observes),  it  is 
next  to  a  miracle  that  ever  any  (especially  the  professors  of 
it)  should  fall  out  about  it. 

13.  Consider  and  remember,  that  the  Judge  stands  at  the 
door.  Let  this  moderate  your  spirits,  that  the  Lord  is  at 
hand.  What  a  sad  account  will  they  have  to  make  when 
he  comes,  that  shall  be  found  to  smite  their  fellow-servants, 
and  to  make  the  way  to  his  kingdom  more  narrow  than 
ever  he  made  it !  Let  me  close  all  in  the  words  of  that  great 
apostle,  2  Cor.  xiii.  11,  "Finally,  brethrt-u,  farewell.  Be 
perfect,  be  of  good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace, 
and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you." 

Postscript. — Reader,  I  thought  good  to  advertise  thee, 
that  I  have  delivered  this  to  thy  hand  in  the  same  order 
and  method  in  which  it  was  preached,  and  almost  in  the 
same  words,  without  any  diminishings  or  considerable  en- 
largings,  unless  it  fee  in  the  thirteen  last  particulars ;  upon 
s^me  of  which  I  have  made  some  enlargements,  which  I 
could  not  then  do  for  want  of  time ;  but  the  substance  of 
every  one  of  them  was  then  laid  down  in  the  same  particu- 
lar order  as  here  thou  hast  them.  And  now  I  have  done,  I 
make  no  other  account  (to  use  the  words  of  a  moderate  man 
upon  the  like  occasion)  but  it  will  fall  out  with  me,  as  doth 
commonly  with  him  that  parts  a  fray,  both  parties  may 


310  AX  EXHORTATION  TO  PEACE  AND  UNITY. 

perhaps  drive  at  me  for  wishing  them  no  worse  than  peace. 
My  ambition  of  the  public  tranquillity  of  the  church  of 
God,  I  hope,  will  carry  me  through  these  hazards ;  let  both 
beat  me,  so  their  quarrels  may  cease,  I  shall  rejoice  in  those 
blows  and  scars  I  shall  take  for  the  church's  safety. 


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